The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared Egypt malaria free, making it the second country to receive the recognition this year after Cape Verde. Egypt is the fifth African country to achieve this feat and has demonstrated effective measures against malaria over the past century. It became the third country in the Eastern Mediterranean region to become malaria free after Morocco (2010) and the UAE (2007). It implemented important surveillance, vector control and environmental management strategies to prevent malaria transmission.
Historical efforts: Egypt’s efforts to eliminate malaria are almost a century old
- 4000 BC: Malaria existed, especially in communities living along the Nile River.
- 1920s: Introduction of measures to reduce human-mosquito contact, such as restrictions on rice cultivation.
- 1930s: Malaria was declared a notifiable disease and control centres were established.
- World War II: Population displacement and disruption of medical supplies caused malaria cases to rise to over 3 million.
- 1950s-1960s: Malaria reduced through environmental management, mosquito surveillance and DDT campaigns.
- Aswan Dam (1969): New threats posed by stagnant water were brought under control, but were contained in collaboration with Sudan.
- 2014: A brief outbreak in Aswan was quickly contained, followed by two years with no new cases.
Key factors: Key reasons behind Egypt’s malaria-free status
- Surveillance system: Early detection of imported cases through collaboration of various stakeholders.
- Health facilities: 95% of the population now lives within 5 kilometres of a primary health centre, where free diagnosis and treatment is available to all.
- Integrated efforts: High Committee to enhance coordination against vector-borne diseases established in 2016.
- Cross-border cooperation: Close partnerships with endemic countries such as Sudan.
Egypt’s success is seen as a model for African countries such as Nigeria, which have the highest malaria burden.
Certification process
- To receive the World Health Organization’s malaria-free certification, a country must prove that there has been no local malaria transmission for three consecutive years and that systems are in place to prevent relapse. With this declaration, 44 countries and one territory worldwide have been certified malaria-free.
Malaria
- It is a life-threatening disease caused by the Plasmodium parasite.
- The parasite is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito.
- Malaria is most common in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, including sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia and South America.
- While Plasmodium falciparum is responsible for the most deaths, Plasmodium vivax is the most widespread of all malaria species.
Plasmodium species
- Falciparum (most severe form)
- Vivax
- Ovale
- Malariae
- Novelesi
Vaccines
- RTS,S/AS01: The first malaria vaccine recommended by the World Health Organization for children in high-risk areas.
- Bharat Biotech is licensed to manufacture this vaccine in India.
- R21/Matrix-M: A new, promising vaccine that has recently been approved and offers high efficacy.