Egypt, one of the world’s 15 most populous countries, has been certified malaria-free after a “pharaonic” effort that began 100 years ago.
Killing nearly 600,000 people each year, almost all of whom live in Africa, malaria’s chain of transmission has been interrupted for three consecutive years, proving that Egyptian health authorities can ensure that it remains a negligent burden for public health.
“Malaria is as old as Egyptian civilization itself, but the disease that struck the pharaohs is now part of its history,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said to mark the occasion.
The WHO praised “the government and people of Egypt” for their efforts to “end a disease that has been present in the country since ancient times”, and added that Egypt and its 114 million inhabitants were now the second declared malaria-free country in the world. WHO 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 on the banks of the Nile, the prevalence of malaria reaches 40%.
The statement details how Egyptian health advocates first took steps 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 founding of the WHO. The United Arab Emirates, close neighbors, and Morocco, distant neighbors, also won this 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 Egyptian Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar.
“We must now work tirelessly and vigilantly to sustain our gains by maintaining the highest standards in monitoring, diagnosis and treatment. »
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Malaria diagnosis and treatment are provided free of charge to the entire Egyptian population, regardless of their legal status, and health professionals are trained throughout the country to detect and screen for malaria cases, including in borders. Egypt’s strong cross-border partnership with neighboring countries, including Sudan, has been instrumental in preventing the reestablishment of local malaria transmission.
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