Acciones para el control de un brote de transmisión local de paludismo introducido en Santiago de Cuba

a descriptive and cross-sectional study on the outbreak of malaria introduced in santiago de cuba municipality during 2006 was carried out. thus, a field epidemiological investigation was conducted consisting of 4 stages: observation, hypothesis, verification, conclusions and practical applications. housings, premises and natural hatcheries of stratified areas were studied. sigua is a rural community where natural hatcheries and a hotel-hospital used in that moment for the "operación milagro" coexisted. initially 2 suspicious cases of leptospirosis were notified, then 10 other people of the community had been admitted with a diagnosis of infectious processes, and in february 11th, 4 cases of malaria by plasmodium vivax were confirmed. actions against transmission included extradomiciliary and intradomiciliary adulticide treatment and others. the promotional drive succeded, by means of the community action, in eliminating environmental elements of risk and contributed to the active surveillance of patients in feverish state. between the notification of the outbreak and the date of occurrence of symptoms of the confirmed last case, 12 days lapsed.