RESUMO
The trends in the malaria situation over the last 14 years in an urban community of Calcutta with a population of 1,04,000 have been analysed with particular reference to the malaria epidemic which took place in Calcutta in November-December, 1995. Annual and monthwise data on malariometric indices pertaining to 1984-1997 were collected from health centre records. The total number of blood slides examined every year has steadily increased from around 8,000 in 1984 to more than 23,000 in 1996 with some decline in 1997. About 95% of the confirmed malaria cases were of the benign tertian type, while remaining 5% were of the malignant tertian type. The slide vivax rate has steadily declined over the years 1984-1997 from around 50 per cent in 1984 to between 20 to 30 per cent during 1993-1997. The slide falciparum rate over the same period varied between 0.5 to 2 per cent and did not show any clear secular trend. The annual parasite incidence (API) which varied cyclically between 40 to 60 per thousand during 1984-87 increased (with a cyclical trend superimposed on a secular increasing trend) to vary between 50 to 70 per thousand during 1994-97. The 1995 winter epidemic of malaria was characterised by an increased occurrence of both P vivax and P falcipanrum malaria.