Epidemiological Update: Malaria in the Americas in the context of COVID-19 pandemic (10 June 2020)

ABSTRACT

After a sustained trend toward reduction of malaria from 2005 to 2014, in recent years the Region of the Americas experienced an increase in the total number of cases due to the increase in cases, since 2015, in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela along with increased transmission in endemic areas of countries such as Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Nicaragua, and Panama, as well as outbreaks in countries that are moving towards elimination (Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, and Ecuador). Despite this, Paraguay and Argentina were certified by the Pan American Health Organization/ World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) as malaria-free countries in July 2018 and May 2019, respectively, and El Salvador and Belize have maintained zero indigenous cases since 2017 and 2019, respectively.