Egypt, one of the world’s 15 most populous nations, has been certified malaria-free after a ‘pharaonic’ effort that began 100 years ago.
Killing nearly 600,000 people every year, almost all of whom dwell in Africa, the malarial transmission chain has been interrupted for three years in a row, proving that the Egyptian health authorities can ensure it remains a negligent public health burden.
“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, to mark the occasion.
The WHO praised “the Egyptian government and people” for their efforts to “end a disease that has been present in the country since ancient times,” and added that Egypt and her 114 million inhabitants were now the second country declared malaria-free in the WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean region.
Malaria has been traced as far back as 4,000 BCE in Egypt, with genetic evidence of the disease found in Tutankhamun and other ancient Egyptian mummies. With most of Egypt’s population living along the banks of the Nile River, malaria prevalence has been recorded as high as 40%.
The statement detailed how Egyptian health advocates first took action to combat the spread of malaria in 1923 when the government prevented agricultural cultivation near settlements.
Only 44 countries in the tropical belts where malaria spreads have been declared malaria-free since the creation of the WHO. Near-neighbors UAE, and far neighbors Morocco, have also won the designation.
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“Receiving the malaria elimination certificate today is not the end of the journey but the beginning of a new phase,” said Egypt’s Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar.
“We must now work tirelessly and vigilantly to sustain our achievement through maintaining the highest standards for surveillance, diagnosis, and treatment.”
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Malaria diagnosis and treatment are provided free of charge to the entire population in Egypt regardless of legal status, and health professionals are trained nationwide to detect and screen for malaria cases including at borders. Egypt’s strong cross-border partnership with neighboring countries, including Sudan, has been instrumental in preventing the re-establishment of local malaria transmission.
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