Sri Lanka free of malaria: Case study

Malaria has been common and widely spread in Sri Lanka since ancient times. P. falciparum and P. vivax malaria were prevalent in Sri Lanka and P. malariae transmission was interrupted in the late 1960s. The primary vector is Anopheles culicifacies.

The first malaria control measures were initiated in 1910. The Anti-Malaria Campaign (AMC) at the Ministry of Health was established in 1911. In the past, several major epidemics have been recorded. The largest was the epidemic of 1934–1935, during which approximately 1.5 million individuals contracted the disease and 80 000 deaths were reported. The epidemic was contained by applying mainly larviciding (oiling of rivers and streams, application of Paris green), as well as quinine treatment and chemoprophylaxis. In November 1945, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) spraying was started.