Historically: Egypt was declared malaria-free by the WHO

In a groundbreaking achievement, the World Health Organization (WHO) has officially certified Egypt as malaria-free. The certification follows nearly a century of dedicated efforts by the Egyptian government and civil society to eliminate a disease that has plagued the region for millennia.

“Malaria is as old as Egyptian civilization itself, but the disease that plagued the pharaohs is now part of its history, not its future,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said in a statement released by the WHO on Sunday.

“This certification of Egypt as malaria-free is truly historic and a testament to the commitment of the Egyptian people and government to rid themselves of this ancient scourge.” I congratulate Egypt on this achievement, which is and shows an inspiration to other countries in the region “What is possible with the right resources and the right tools.”

This makes Egypt the third country in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region to achieve malaria-free status, after the United Arab Emirates and Morocco, and the first since 2010. Globally, 44 countries and one territory have reached this milestone.

For certification granted by the WHO, a country must demonstrate that local transmission of malaria, which is transmitted by a mosquito, has been interrupted for at least three consecutive years. In addition, the country must demonstrate the ability to prevent resumption of transmission.

Despite the certification, Egyptian Minister of Health and Population and Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar said Egypt’s journey is not yet over.

“Today’s receipt of the Malaria Elimination Certificate is not the end of the journey, but the beginning of a new phase. We must now work tirelessly and vigilantly to maintain our successes by maintaining the highest standards of monitoring, diagnosis and treatment,” said Dr. Ghaffar, adding that Egypt will continue to work with neighboring countries such as Sudan to prevent cross-border transmission.

According to the WHO, malaria has deep roots in Egypt’s history, with evidence suggesting the disease dates back to 4000 BC. BC. Through genetic testing, it was discovered that the famous Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun had malaria. For centuries, the disease was particularly common in areas along the Nile and at times reached a prevalence of up to 40 percent.

Modern efforts to combat the disease in the country first began in the 1920s. According to the WHO, wartime disruption and population displacement in the 1940s caused cases to rise to over three million. At that time, Egypt responded with a large-scale campaign involving more than 4,000 health workers and 16 treatment departments and eventually regained control of the outbreak. The WHO statement added that the construction of the Aswan Dam in the 1960s posed new challenges as the stagnant water became a breeding ground for mosquitoes. In collaboration with Sudan, Egypt launched a comprehensive vector control and surveillance program that enabled rapid detection and containment of malaria outbreaks. By 2001, Egypt had malaria effectively under control.

One of the steps that WHO says has boosted Egypt’s efforts to eradicate malaria is providing free malaria diagnosis and treatment to the entire population.

The latest available public data shows that there were 249 million cases of malaria worldwide in 2022. More than 600,000 people die from malaria every year, and more than 95 percent of those killed live in Africa.