Population and land use effects on malaria prevalence in the southern Brazilian Amazon

Malaria prevalence has been one of the most dramatic outcomes of the occupation of the Brazilian Amazon as exemplified by Northern Mato Grosso, one of the areas of highest malaria prevalence in the Americas in the early 1990s. This paper associates the dynamicsof high malaria prevalence in Northern Mato Grosso with three land uses-small-scalegold mining (garimpos), agricultural colonization/cattle ranching (rural), and urban activities-and their related population characteristics, which constitute riskprofiles. Furthermore, spatial proximity and population mobility between (a) garimpos and new rural settlements and (b) older rural settlements or urban areas are key factors explaining malaria diffusion throughout the region. The paper identifies and characterizes populations at high malaria risk and the effects of land use types on malaria diffusion, providing policymakers with information for regional and local policies to control malaria and minimize its effects on Amazonian populations.