Anopheles maculipennis (malaria mosquito). Photo Credit: Paul Starosta/Getty Images

HealthSociety Egypt29. October 2024

Historic End to Malaria in This Country, After 4,000 Years!

Egypt finally eliminated malaria, the mosquito-borne disease that plagued the African country for 4,000 years. After dedicated and concerted efforts from authorities and citizens alike, Egypt fulfilled all the requirements for certification by the World Health Organization (WHO).

“Malaria is as old as Egyptian civilization itself, but the disease that plagued pharaohs now belongs to its history,” exclaims WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The first efforts to halt the deadly mosquito-borne infectious disease in Egypt were launched in the 1920s with the ban on rice cultivation and crops near homes. To be certified, a country must prove that the transmission chain has been interrupted for at least the previous three consecutive years and demonstrate its capacity to prevent the re-establishment of transmission. Egypt joins the United Arab Emirates and Morocco as the third country in the WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region to be granted this certification; 44 countries and one territory globally. Vaccines are a good option, but monitoring the disease and avoiding mosquito bites remain the most effective ways to prevent malaria.

Source:
BBC

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