The six-year Philippine-American malaria control program.

Abstract

Summary A brief review is given of the history and epidemiology of malaria in the Philippines, and of control practices up to the present day. The Six-Year (1953–1958) Philippine-American Program for Malaria Control in the Philippines has for its objective the reduction of malaria to an insignificant level by annual spraying of all houses in malarious areas with DDT for at least 3 consecutive years, and thereafter spot-spraying of houses as local conditions demand. Concomitantly there is being developed a long-range program which consists of more permanent measures. Anti-malaria drugs are used as a supplementary relief measure. The total number of houses to be sprayed is about one million, with over four million house-sprayings to be carried out during the six year period. During the first season's operations (1953) a total of 215,000 houses were sprayed and 85,000 people received treatment for malaria. During 1954 the program has been expanded to a nationwide spraying of one million houses, which will bring malaria protection to 5 million people.