Objetivo. Descrever as características epidemiológicas da malária e seus principais determinantes no Município de Cruzeiro do Sul, no Estado do Acre, Brasil, entre 1998 Conclusões. O incentivo a atividades econômicas em áreas periurbanas de transmissão instável de malária, típicas da América Latina, deve ser muito bem planejado. O controle da malária em Cruzeiro do Sul baseou-se em estratégias integradas implementadas simultaneamente pelos governos federal, estadual e municipal, como preconizado pelo Plano Nacional de Controle da Malária. É importante ressaltar a utilidade de um bom sistema de informação como o SIVEP-Malária para estimar a carga de doença e monitorar de forma eficiente o impacto das intervenções.Malária; estudos epidemiológicos; incidência; piscicultura; Brasil. RESUMOAtualmente, a malária é a mais incidente doença parasitária do mundo. Estima-se que o número de casos novos a cada ano chegue a 250 milhões, com 880 mil mortes. Aproximadamente metade da população mundial está exposta à infecção, especialmente pessoas que vivem em países pobres (1).Desde que o governo brasileiro se voltou para a organização dos planos de intervenção sanitária na Amazônia, essa

BackgroundStudies in South-East Asia have suggested that early diagnosis and treatment with artesunate (AS) and mefloquine (MQ) combination therapy may reduce the transmission of Plasmodium falciparum malaria and the progression of MQ resistance.MethodsThe effectiveness of a fixed-dose combination of AS and MQ (ASMQ) in reducing malaria transmission was tested in isolated communities of the Juruá valley in the Amazon region.Priority municipalities within the Brazilian Legal Amazon area were selected according to pre-specified criteria. Routine national malaria control programmatic procedures were followed. Existing health structures were reinforced and health care workers were trained to treat with ASMQ all confirmed falciparum malaria cases that match inclusion criteria. A local pharmacovigilance structure was implemented. Incidence of malaria and hospitalizations were recorded two years before, during, and after the fixed-dose ASMQ intervention. In total, between July 2006 and December 2008, 23,845 patients received ASMQ. Two statistical modelling approaches were applied to monthly time series of P. falciparum malaria incidence rates, P. falciparum/Plasmodium vivax infection ratio, and malaria hospital admissions rates. All the time series ranged from January 2004 to December 2008, whilst the intervention period span from July 2006 to December 2008.ResultsThe ASMQ intervention had a highly significant impact on the mean level of each time series, adjusted for trend and season, of 0.34 (95%CI 0.20 – 0.58) for the P. falciparum malaria incidence rates, 0.67 (95%CI 0.50 – 0.89) for the P. falciparum/P. vivax infection ratio, and 0.53 (95%CI 0.41 – 0.69) for the hospital admission rates. There was also a significant change in the seasonal (or monthly) pattern of the time series before and after intervention, with the elimination of the malaria seasonal peak in the rainy months of the years following the introduction of ASMQ. No serious adverse events relating to the use of fixed-dose ASMQ were reported.ConclusionsIn the remote region of the Juruá valley, the early detection of malaria by health care workers and treatment with fixed-dose ASMQ was feasible and efficacious, and significantly reduced the incidence and morbidity of P. falciparum malaria.