Like in the Southeast Asian countries, malaria is still a public health problem in Indonesia. The province of Central Java is one of the most dense populated areas in Indonesia with an estimated 27 million populations in 1984. Malaria inflicting human health in Central Java is primarily caused by P. vivax, P. falciparum and very rarely by P. malariae. Malaria cases are estimated by slides positivity rates (SPR), annual parasites incidence (API) and annual blood examination rates (ABER). Small epidemics occurred in several villages and the reasons for it were two fold, namely the occurrence of DDT resistance by the main vector An. aconitus.An. sundaicus and An. maculatus and the occurrence of chloroquine resistance by P. falciparum. The control programme made adaptations by using Fenitrothion in highly endemic areas and administration of Fansidar in chloroquine resistant cases of P. falciparum. The figures of SPR and API for 1979 until 1985 were constantiy above 1.00, ranging from 1.18 - 4.19 for SPR and 1.37 until 6.00 for API. Fortunately the figures were coming down from 1986 until 1988. In 1988 was reported 0.67 for SPR and 0.63 for API. Constant surveillance and alertness in endemic "pockets" is obligatory to prevent uprising.
