title: Prospects for malaria elimination in Mesoamerica and Hispaniola.
abstract: Malaria remains endemic in 21 countries of the American continent with an estimated 427,000 cases per year. Approximately 10% of these occur in the Mesoamerican and Caribbean regions. During the last decade, malaria transmission in Mesoamerica showed a decrease of ~85%; whereas, in the Caribbean region, Hispaniola (comprising the Dominican Republic [DR] and Haiti) presented an overall rise in malaria transmission, primarily due to a steady increase in Haiti, while DR experienced a significant transmission decrease in this period. The significant malaria reduction observed recently in the region prompted the launch of an initiative for Malaria Elimination in Mesoamerica and Hispaniola (EMMIE) with the active involvement of the National Malaria Control Programs (NMCPs) of nine countries, the Regional Coordination Mechanism (RCM) for Mesoamerica, and the Council of Health Ministries of Central America and Dominican Republic (COMISCA). The EMMIE initiative is supported by the Global Fund for Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) with active participation of multiple partners including Ministries of Health, bilateral and multilateral agencies, as well as research centers. EMMIE's main goal is to achieve elimination of malaria transmission in the region by 2020. Here we discuss the prospects, challenges, and research needs associated with this initiative that, if successful, could represent a paradigm for other malaria-affected regions.
authors.affiliation: Caucaseco Scientific Research Center, Cali, Colombia; Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center, Cali, Colombia.
authors.forename: Sócrates
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Herrera
authors.affiliation: Caucaseco Scientific Research Center, Cali, Colombia; Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center, Cali, Colombia.
authors.forename: Sergio Andrés
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Ochoa-Orozco
authors.affiliation: Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Iveth J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: González
authors.affiliation: Health Management Consultant, Guatemala City, Guatemala.
authors.forename: Lucrecia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Peinado
authors.affiliation: Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia.
authors.forename: Martha L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Quiñones
authors.affiliation: Caucaseco Scientific Research Center, Cali, Colombia; Facultad de Salud, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia.
authors.forename: Myriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arévalo-Herrera
mesh_terms: D017691:Caribbean Region / Q000453:epidemiology; D002489:Central America / Q000453:epidemiology; D005376:Financial Management; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009032:Mosquito Control; D013020:South America / Q000453:epidemiology