In brief
Egypt celebrates the achievement of being declared malaria-free by the World Health Organization, a status reached after nearly a century of concerted efforts against the disease, historically significant for a nation once plagued by it.
Egypt has officially been recognized as malaria-free by the World Health Organization (WHO), a monumental achievement celebrated by the UN public health agency as "truly historic." WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus remarked, “Malaria is as old as Egyptian civilization itself, but the disease that plagued pharaohs now belongs to its history.” Efforts to eliminate malaria in Egypt began nearly a century ago, with initiatives aimed at interrupting the transmission of the disease, which is responsible for approximately 600,000 fatalities annually, predominantly in Africa. The certification from WHO is granted only when a country demonstrates that the transmission of malaria has been interrupted for at least three continuous years. In a statement on Sunday, the WHO praised the dedication of "the Egyptian government and people" in their battle against a disease that has existed for millennia within their borders. With this certification, Egypt becomes the third nation in the WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Region to achieve this milestone, following the United Arab Emirates and Morocco. To date, 44 countries and one territory globally have reached this status.However, the WHO cautioned that this certification represents merely the beginning of a new phase, urging Egypt to remain vigilant in preserving its malaria-free status. For WHO certification, countries must also exhibit the capability to prevent any re-establishment of transmission. The initial steps taken to minimize human-mosquito interactions in Egypt date back to the 1920s when agricultural practices such as rice cultivation were restricted near habitation.While vaccines are being deployed in various regions to combat malaria, the WHO emphasized that ongoing disease monitoring and efforts to avoid mosquito bites remain crucial strategies in preventing malaria resurgence.
