A complete of 44 nations and 1 territory have reached the malaria-free milestone
20 October 2024 | Geneva / Cairo – The World Well being Group (WHO) has licensed Egypt as ‘malaria-free’, marking a big public well being milestone for a rustic with greater than 100 million inhabitants. The achievement follows a virtually 100-year effort by the Egyptian authorities and other people to finish a illness that has been current within the nation since historic occasions.
“Malaria is as outdated as Egyptian civilization itself, however the illness that plagued pharaohs now belongs to its historical past and never its future,” mentioned Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-Common. “This certification of Egypt as malaria-free is actually historic, and a testomony to the dedication of the folks and authorities of Egypt to rid themselves of this historic scourge. I congratulate Egypt on this achievement, which is an inspiration to different nations within the area, and reveals what’s potential with the proper sources and the proper instruments.”
Egypt is the third nation to be awarded a malaria-free certification within the WHO Japanese Mediterranean Area following United Arab Emirates and Morocco, and the primary since 2010. Globally, a complete of 44 nations and 1 territory have reached this milestone.
“Receiving the malaria elimination certificates at present isn’t the tip of the journey however the starting of a brand new section. We should now work tirelessly and vigilantly to maintain our achievement by way of sustaining the best requirements for surveillance, analysis and therapy, built-in vector administration and sustaining our efficient and fast response to imported circumstances. Our continued multisectoral efforts might be essential to preserving Egypt’s malaria-free standing,” mentioned H.E. Dr Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister of Egypt.
I reaffirm that we are going to proceed with willpower and powerful will to safeguard the well being of all folks in Egypt below the sensible management’s steering and proceed with enhancing our healthcare system, it will stay a cornerstone in defending the lives of all folks residing in and visiting Egypt.”
Certification of malaria elimination is granted by WHO when a rustic has confirmed, past affordable doubt, that the chain of indigenous malaria transmission by Anopheles mosquitoes has been interrupted nationwide for no less than the earlier three consecutive years. A rustic should additionally display the capability to stop the re-establishment of transmission.
Egypt’s journey to elimination
Malaria has been traced way back to 4000 B.C. in Egypt, with genetic proof of the illness present in Tutankhamun and different historic Egyptian mummies.
Early efforts to scale back human-mosquito contact in Egypt started within the Nineteen Twenties when the nation prohibited the cultivation of rice and agricultural crops close to houses. With most of Egypt’s inhabitants residing alongside the banks of the Nile River and malaria prevalence as excessive as 40%, the nation designated malaria a notifiable illness in 1930 and later opened its first malaria management station targeted on analysis, therapy and surveillance.
“At present, Egypt has confirmed that with imaginative and prescient, dedication, and unity we will overcome the best challenges. This success in eliminating malaria isn’t just a victory for public well being however an indication of hope for your entire world, particularly for different endemic nations in our area. This achievement is the results of sustained, strong surveillance investments in a powerful, built-in well being system, the place neighborhood engagement and partnerships have enabled progress. Moreover, collaboration and assist to endemic nations, corresponding to Sudan, stay a precedence,” mentioned Dr Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director for the Japanese Mediterranean.
By 1942, malaria circumstances in Egypt had spiked to greater than 3 million because of World Battle II inhabitants displacement, the disruption of medical provides and companies, and the invasion of Anopheles arabiensis, a extremely environment friendly mosquito vector, amongst different elements. Egypt succeeded in controlling the malaria outbreak by way of the institution of 16 therapy divisions and the recruitment of greater than 4000 well being employees.
The development of the Aswan Dam, accomplished in 1969, created a brand new malaria danger for the nation, as standing water produced breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Egypt, in collaboration with Sudan, launched a rigorous vector management and public well being surveillance undertaking to quickly detect and reply to malaria outbreaks.
By 2001, malaria was firmly below management and the Ministry of Well being and Inhabitants set its sights on stopping the re-establishment of native malaria transmission. Egypt quickly contained a small outbreak of malaria circumstances within the Aswan Governorate in 2014 by way of early case identification, immediate therapy, vector management and public schooling.
Malaria analysis and therapy are supplied free-of-charge to your entire inhabitants in Egypt no matter authorized standing, and well being professionals are educated nationwide to detect and display for malaria circumstances together with at borders. Egypt’s robust cross-border partnership with neighbouring nations, together with Sudan, has been instrumental for stopping the re-establishment of native malaria transmission, paving the way in which for the nation to be formally licensed as malaria-free.
Notes to the editor
WHO malaria-free certification
The ultimate determination on awarding a malaria-free certification rests with the WHO Director-Common, primarily based on a suggestion by the unbiased Technical Advisory Group on Malaria Elimination and Certification. Be taught extra about WHO’s malaria-free certification course of.
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