Egypt declared malaria-free after 100-year effort
Egypt has been declared malaria-free by the World Health Organization (WHO), a milestone that the UN public health agency describes as “truly historic.”
“Malaria has been present since the time of ancient Egyptian civilization, but the disease that once plagued pharaohs is now part of history,” stated WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Egyptian authorities initiated their first efforts to eradicate this deadly mosquito-borne disease nearly a century ago.
Certification is awarded when a country demonstrates that malaria transmission has been interrupted for at least three consecutive years. The disease claims at least 600,000 lives annually, with nearly all deaths occurring in Africa.
In a statement released on Sunday, the WHO commended “the Egyptian government and people” for their dedication to “eliminating a disease that has been part of the country’s history for millennia.”
Egypt is now the third nation to receive certification in the WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region, following the United Arab Emirates and Morocco.
Globally, 44 countries and one territory have reached this milestone.
But the WHO said the certification was only “the beginning of a new phase”, urging Egypt to be on the alert to preserve its malaria-free status.
To get the WHO certification, a country must demonstrate the capacity to prevent the re-establishment of transmission.
The UN public health agency said the first efforts to limit human-mosquito contact in Egypt began in the 1920s when it banned rice cultivation and crops near homes.
Malaria is caused by a complex parasite that is spread by mosquito bites.
Vaccines are now being used in some places – but monitoring the disease and avoiding mosquito bites are the most effective ways to prevent malaria.