In October this year Egypt was certified malaria-free by the World Health Organization.
Egyptian authorities and the UN public health agency launched their first efforts to stamp out the deadly mosquito-borne infectious disease in the 1920s by banning rice cultivation and agricultural crops near homes.
In 2024, Egypt becomes the third country to be certified malaria-free in the WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region, following the United Arab Emirates and Morocco.
Globally, 44 countries and one territory have reached this milestone.
“Malaria is as old as Egyptian civilization itself, but the disease that plagued pharaohs now belongs to its history,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Nations are granted certification when a country proves that the transmission chain is interrupted for at least the previous three consecutive years. Malaria kills at least 600,000 people every year, nearly all of them in Africa.
In a statement at the time, WHO praised “the Egyptian government and people” for their efforts to “end a disease that has been present in the country since ancient times”.
But the WHO said the certification was only “the beginning of a new phase”, urging Egypt to be on the alert to preserve its malaria-free status.
To get the WHO certification, a country must demonstrate the capacity to prevent the re-establishment of transmission.
Malaria is caused by a complex parasite which is spread by mosquito bites.
Vaccines are now being used in some places – but monitoring the disease and avoiding mosquito bites are the most effective ways to prevent malaria.