⚕️ Egypt has eradicated malaria

⚕️ Egypt has eradicated malaria

The World Health Organization, WHO, has certified Egypt as malaria-free after nearly a hundred years of work against the disease. The disease has been present in the country for over 4000 years. Egypt is one of 44 countries that WHO has certified as malaria-free.

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  • The World Health Organization, WHO, has certified Egypt as malaria-free after nearly a hundred years of work against the disease.
  • The disease has been present in the country for over 4000 years. This is known because genetic traces of malaria were found in Tutankhamun's mummy.
  • Egypt is one of 44 countries that WHO has certified as malaria-free.

Long road to the goal

In a country with over 100 million inhabitants, the systematic work against malaria has now reached its goal. WHO's certification confirms that no domestic malaria transmission has occurred in the country for at least three consecutive years.

In the 1920s, Egypt took the first steps in the fight against malaria by banning rice cultivation and other agricultural crops near residential areas. When 40 percent of the population along the Nile was affected in the 1930s, malaria was classified as a notifiable disease and the country opened its first control station for diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring.

During World War II, the number of malaria cases rose to over three million. Movement of people and shortage of medical supplies contributed to the increase. Egypt responded by establishing 16 treatment units and hiring over 4000 healthcare workers.

Healthcare reaches everyone

Diagnosis and treatment of malaria is free for everyone in Egypt, regardless of legal status. Healthcare personnel throughout the country are trained in detecting and examining suspected malaria cases, including at the borders.

Cooperation with neighboring countries, primarily Sudan, has been crucial in keeping malaria away. When a minor outbreak occurred in Aswan in 2014, it was quickly stopped through early detection, immediate treatment, interventions against disease-spreading mosquitoes, and public information.

Part of global success

Egypt is now one of 44 countries that WHO has certified as malaria-free. To receive certification, a country must show that domestic transmission of malaria has not existed in the country for at least three consecutive years.

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