Fatshimetrie celebrates the recent announcement by the World Health Organization (WHO) that Egypt is officially malaria-free. This historic milestone marks a major turning point for the country and is a testament to its continued efforts to combat the disease. WHO hailed the achievement as “truly historic.”
Malaria has been a persistent problem in Egypt for millennia, but it is now a thing of the past. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed that “malaria is as old as Egyptian civilization, but it no longer exists in the country.”
Egyptian authorities began efforts to eliminate malaria nearly 100 years ago. To be declared malaria-free, a country must prove that there has been no local transmission of the disease for at least three years.
Malaria continues to cause more than 600,000 deaths each year, mostly in Africa. However, Egypt now joins 44 countries and one territory worldwide that have eliminated the disease. It is also the third country in the WHO Middle East region to achieve this feat, after the United Arab Emirates and Morocco.
WHO commended Egypt’s efforts while warning of the risk of a resurgence of malaria. The organization explained that Egypt’s work to combat malaria began in the 1920s, including by restricting crops such as rice that attract mosquitoes.
Malaria is caused by a parasite carried by mosquitoes. Although vaccines are now used in some areas, the best methods to prevent malaria remain avoiding mosquito bites and closely monitoring the disease.
With this achievement, Egypt is sending a message of hope and determination in the global fight against malaria. This victory is the result of years of sustained effort and commitment to public health, and it inspires other countries to continue their efforts to eliminate this devastating disease.