In 1939, the National Malaria Society was founded. In 1951, the criteria for eradication as put forth by the National Malaria Society was: ﾓMalaria may be assumed to be no longer endemic in any given area when no primary indigenous case has occurred there for three years.ﾔ Since then, the definition has evolved.

Today, the goal of most current National Malaria Prevention and Control Programs and most malaria activities conducted in endemic countries is to reduce the number of malaria-related cases and deaths. To reduce malaria transmission to a level where it is no longer a public health problem is the goal of what is called malaria ﾓcontrol.ﾔ