Malaria acquired during entomological research undertaken on the coastal range of southeastern Brazil

Abstract

A focus of malaria was discovered at the beginning of 1993, in the Coastal Range State Park, in the Atlantic Forest area of the State of S. Paulo, Brazil. The entomological research carried out there caused malaria infection by Plasmodium vivax in three workers of the Endemic Research Control Superintendancy (Superintendência de Controle de Endemias - SUCEN), of the State Health Secretariat. It is worth emphasizing that transmission occurred in an area which had been presenting low levels of incidence of the disease; also, the capturers who were undertaking their entomological activities in the area were exposed for an extremely short period of time in one case for only three hours.