Egypt Achieves Malaria-Free Certification
In a truly historic moment, Egypt has been officially declared malaria-free by the World Health Organization (WHO). This achievement has been hailed as a monumental success by the UN public health agency.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized the significance of this milestone, stating, “Malaria is as old as Egyptian civilization itself, but the disease that plagued pharaohs now belongs to its history.”
Efforts to eradicate the deadly mosquito-borne infectious disease in Egypt began nearly a century ago, with the country now proving the interruption of the transmission chain for the past three consecutive years to earn the certification. Malaria claims the lives of over 600,000 individuals annually, with the majority of fatalities occurring in Africa.
The WHO commended the “government and people of Egypt” for their dedication in eliminating a disease that has been a part of the country’s history for centuries. Egypt now joins the ranks of the United Arab Emirates and Morocco as the third country in the WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region to achieve malaria-free status, with a total of 44 countries and one territory globally reaching this milestone.
While celebrating this achievement, the WHO also emphasized that this is just the beginning of a new phase for Egypt, urging the country to remain vigilant in order to maintain its malaria-free status. To retain the certification, Egypt must demonstrate the ability to prevent the re-establishment of malaria transmission.
Efforts to reduce human-mosquito contact in Egypt date back to the 1920s when measures were implemented to limit the presence of mosquitoes near residential areas by banning rice cultivation and other agricultural practices. Malaria, caused by a complex parasite spread through mosquito bites, can be prevented through vigilant monitoring and avoiding mosquito bites, as vaccines are gradually being introduced in some regions.
