The Fight Against Malaria in Brazil: A Tale of Two Cities

In the 1980s, two cities in Brazil, São Francisco do Sul and Araquari, took on a big challenge: wiping out malaria. Before this, Santa Catarina had a huge problem with malaria. Every year, nearly 60, 000 people got sick from it. The main culprit was a mosquito called Anopheles (Kerteszia) cruzii. These mosquitoes loved to breed in bromeliads, which are plants that look like pineapples. The fight against malaria started way back in 1941. The National Malaria Service was involved in controlling the disease. They first focused on two types of malaria: Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium malariae. Later, in 1962, they shifted their attention to Plasmodium vivax.The fight against malaria in these two cities from 1980 to 1985 was intense. They did everything they could to stop the disease. They removed bromeliads, sprayed DDT, used Malathion fogging, and improved how they found and treated cases. They also used a new method: serology. This helped them figure out who needed treatment and who didn't. The result? Malaria cases dropped from 6. 7 per 1, 000 people to zero in 1985. This was a big win for the cities and showed that using serology could make the fight against malaria more efficient. The success in these two cities didn't happen by accident. It took a lot of resources, hard work, and support from the government. This shows that if we want to beat malaria, we need to be serious about it. The methods used in the 1980s are still useful today. They can help us fight malaria in places where it's still a big problem. The fight against malaria is a tough one, but with the right tools and effort, it can be won.