La medicina tropical: un reto para la salud publica y la practica privada / Tropical medicine: a challenge for public health a privated practice

Tropical diseases present serious difficulties for control and eradication due to their complex mechanisms of transmission, life cycle of etiological microorganisms and ecological conditions of endemic areas. Based upon the tropical pathology seen at the Cuellar Clinic in Bogota during a 12 month period, this publication describes the public health impact of some infectious and parasitic diseases in Colombia. In addition, the need of adequate teaching, as well as the importance of opportunities for basic and clinical research on several fields of tropical medicine in Colombian medical schools is emphasised.