Friday, November 1, 2024
Geneva, Switzerland

Malaria has been completely eradicated in Egypt, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Sunday November 27, calling the result “truly historic” and the culmination of nearly a century of efforts to eradicate the disease.

“Malaria is as old as Egyptian civilization itself, but the disease that plagued the Pharaohs now belongs to its history, not its future,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.
“The certification of Egypt as a malaria-free country is truly historic and testifies to the commitment of the Egyptian people and government to rid themselves of this age-old scourge,” he added.
Worldwide, 44 countries and one territory have been certified malaria-free.
Certification of malaria elimination is granted by WHO when a country has demonstrated that the chain of transmission of malaria by mosquitoes has been interrupted nationwide for at least the previous three consecutive years.
A country must also demonstrate its ability to prevent the re-establishment of transmission.
According to the WHO, malaria kills over 600,000 people every year, 95% of them in Africa.

Humaniterre avec AFP