Epidemiological surveillance activities for malaria in the colombian-peruvian border diagnostic network

Abstract

To describe the activities of the malaria diagnostic network and its quality control in the Colombian-Peruvian border to characterize the functioning of the epidemiological surveillance system. Descriptive study with a research focus on implementation. We visited border communities with health care centers or volunteers trained to diagnose malaria. The visited sites were georeferenced to know their distribution. With information from departmental public health laboratories, the quality component was analyzed and compliance with the national guidelines for malaria diagnostic networks in the border area of the two countries was evidenced. Twenty-five Colombian and 18 Peruvian sites were visited, of which 25% had only microscopy posts, 56% made a diagnosis for malaria, and 19% only took samples and the plates were sent to a reference point for diagnosis. The Ministry of Health of the Amazon (Colombia) did not carry out direct supervision visits to the malaria diagnostic network during 2016-2017; the Regional Health Directorate of Loreto (Peru) has not carried out visits since 2015. Sixty percent of the diagnosis points in the Amazon and 29% in Loreto participated in quality assurance. Lack of opportunity in the diagnosis was identified in 44% of the visited sites and deficiencies in the quality component of the border diagnostic network.