Egypt is licensed malaria-free by WHO

The World Well being Group (WHO) has licensed Egypt as malaria-free, marking a big public well being milestone for a rustic with greater than 100 million inhabitants. The achievement follows an almost 100-year effort by the Egyptian authorities and other people to finish a illness that has been current within the nation since historic occasions.

“Malaria is as previous as Egyptian civilization itself, however the illness that plagued pharaohs now belongs to its historical past and never its future,” stated Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-Common. “This certification of Egypt as malaria-free is actually historic, and a testomony to the dedication of the folks and authorities of Egypt to rid themselves of this historic scourge. I congratulate Egypt on this achievement, which is an inspiration to different international locations within the area, and reveals what’s doable with the appropriate sources and the appropriate instruments.”

Egypt is the third nation to be awarded a malaria-free certification within the WHO Jap Mediterranean Area following the United Arab Emirates and Morocco, and the primary since 2010. Globally, a complete of 44 international locations and 1 territory have reached this milestone.

“Receiving the malaria elimination certificates at the moment will not be the top of the journey however the starting of a brand new section. We should now work tirelessly and vigilantly to maintain our achievement by means of sustaining the best requirements for surveillance, analysis and therapy, built-in vector administration and sustaining our efficient and fast response to imported instances. Our continued multisectoral efforts will likely be crucial to preserving Egypt’s malaria-free standing,” stated H.E. Dr Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister of Egypt.

“I reaffirm that we are going to proceed with dedication and robust will to safeguard the well being of all folks in Egypt underneath the clever management’s steering and proceed with enhancing our healthcare system, this may stay a cornerstone in defending the lives of all folks dwelling in and visiting Egypt.”

Certification of malaria elimination is granted by WHO when a rustic has confirmed, past cheap doubt, that the chain of indigenous malaria transmission by Anopheles mosquitoes has been interrupted nationwide for not less than the earlier three consecutive years. A rustic should additionally reveal the capability to stop the re-establishment of transmission.

Egypt’s journey to elimination

Malaria has been traced way back to 4000 B.C.E. in Egypt, with genetic proof of the illness present in Tutankhamun and different historic Egyptian mummies.

Early efforts to cut back human-mosquito contact in Egypt started within the Nineteen Twenties when the nation prohibited the cultivation of rice and agricultural crops close to houses. With most of Egypt’s inhabitants dwelling alongside the banks of the Nile River and malaria prevalence as excessive as 40%, the nation designated malaria a notifiable illness in 1930 and later opened its first malaria management station targeted on analysis, therapy and surveillance. 

“In the present day, Egypt has confirmed that with imaginative and prescient, dedication, and unity we are able to overcome the best challenges. This success in eliminating malaria isn’t just a victory for public well being however an indication of hope for the whole world, particularly for different endemic international locations in our area. This achievement is the results of sustained, sturdy surveillance investments in a powerful, built-in well being system, the place group engagement and partnerships have enabled progress. Moreover, collaboration and assist to endemic international locations, resembling Sudan, stay a precedence,” stated Dr Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director for the Jap Mediterranean.

By 1942, malaria instances in Egypt had spiked to greater than 3 million on account of the Second World Battle inhabitants displacement, the disruption of medical provides and providers, and the invasion of Anopheles arabiensis, a extremely environment friendly mosquito vector, amongst different elements. Egypt succeeded in controlling the malaria outbreak by means of the institution of 16 therapy divisions and the recruitment of greater than 4000 well being employees.

The development of the Aswan Dam, accomplished in 1969, created a brand new malaria threat for the nation, as standing water produced breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Egypt, in collaboration with Sudan, launched a rigorous vector management and public well being surveillance challenge to quickly detect and reply to malaria outbreaks.

By 2001, malaria was firmly underneath management and the Ministry of Well being and Inhabitants set its sights on stopping the re-establishment of native malaria transmission. Egypt quickly contained a small outbreak of malaria instances within the Aswan Governorate in 2014 by means of early case identification, immediate therapy, vector management and public training.

Malaria analysis and therapy are supplied free-of-charge to the whole inhabitants in Egypt no matter authorized standing, and well being professionals are skilled nationwide to detect and display screen for malaria instances together with at borders. Egypt’s robust cross-border partnership with neighbouring international locations, together with Sudan, has been instrumental for stopping the re-establishment of native malaria transmission, paving the way in which for the nation to be formally licensed as malaria-free.