[Malaria in Haiti today]

Abstract

Haiti is the only Caribbean island where malaria, practically always due to Plasmodium falciparum, persists in an epidemic-endemic state. In 1995 Haitian strains of P. falciparum were still sensitive to chloroquine. The principal vector is Anopheles albimanus, but the recent introduction in the south of Haiti of An. Pseudopunctipennis, which is an effective vector of P. falciparum in Central America, requires appropriate entomological surveillance. Essentially rural and seasonal, malaria is increasingly observed in the suburban areas around Port-au-Prince. The epidemiologic indicators have regressed since the 1980s and 1990s. The plasmodic index in 1995 was low: 3.9%. Nonetheless imported malaria from Haiti presents a considerable threat to the other countries in the region because of the migrant flow. Updating data is essential to set up rational control strategies and appropriate advice to travellers.