ABSTRACT
In a general sense, the fight against malaria has always been and will no doubt always be an instance of “public health.” However, there has never been a consensus concerning just exactly what is meant by “control.” In the early part of the twentieth century, control was generally taken to mean a reduction, if not elimination, of malaria transmission. This position helps explain why the League of Nations Conference in 1937, when it addressed malaria, pointed out that “the distribution of anti-malaria drugs … is not so much malaria control as an alleviation of acute disease with reduction of mortality” (League of Nations 1937). Today, the reduction of mortality is seen as a legitimate goal for control programs to pursue. Nevertheless, the sentiment remains that control involves more than the diagnosis and treatment of malaria; in particular, it also should include the detection and containment of epidemics and the prevention of transmission where likelihood is strong that such action will reduce the incidence of disease and mortality (WHO 1993).
