Egypt made history on Sunday by being officially certified malaria-free, marking the end of a long fight against the disease that has affected the country for centuries. The World Health Organization (WHO) hailed this as a monumental achievement, celebrating nearly a hundred years of effort to eliminate malaria from Egypt.
“Malaria has been around since the time of the pharaohs, but now it’s part of Egypt’s past, not its future,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. He emphasized that the certification represents the dedication of both the Egyptian government and its people in overcoming this ancient threat.
With this announcement, Egypt joins the list of 44 countries and one territory that have been recognized by the WHO as malaria-free.
To earn this certification, a country must demonstrate that malaria transmission through Anopheles mosquitoes has been halted for at least three consecutive years. Additionally, it must show it can prevent the disease from returning.
Despite the progress in some regions, malaria continues to take a heavy toll globally, claiming more than 600,000 lives annually, with 95 percent of those deaths occurring in Africa, according to the WHO.
