The World Health Organization has certified China as malaria-free on Wednesday, following a 70-year effort to eradicate the disease.
China becomes the first country in the WHO Western Pacific Region to be awarded a malaria-free certification in more than 3 decades. Australia (1981), Singapore (1982), and Brunei Darussalam (1987) are the other countries in the region that have achieved this feat.
According to WHO, this a notable achievement for a country that reported 30 million cases of the disease annually in the 1940s.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “We congratulate the people of China on ridding the country of malaria. Their success was hard-earned and came only after decades of targeted and sustained action. With this announcement, China joins the growing number of countries that are showing the world that a malaria-free future is a viable goal.”
#China ?? is the first country in @WHOWPRO to be awarded a #malaria-free certification in more than 3 decades.
Other countries in the region that have achieved this status include:
Australia ?? (1981)
Singapore ?? (1982)
Brunei Darussalam ?? (1987)https://t.co/GfrX7ptCVG— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) June 30, 2021
The WHO Global Malaria Programme (GMP) is responsible for coordinating WHO’s global efforts to control and eliminate malaria. Countries that have achieved at least 3 consecutive years of zero indigenous cases of malaria are eligible to apply for a WHO certification of malaria-free status.
China’s elimination journey of the disease began in the 1950s. China applied for an official WHO certification of malaria elimination in 2020, after four consecutive years of zero indigenous cases. Members of the independent Malaria Elimination Certification Panel visited China in May 2021 to verify the country’s malaria-free status. The experts also verified China’s programmes to prevent any future outbreak of the disease.
Malaria is a disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. It is preventable and curable.
WHO has so far granted malaria-free certification to 40 countries and territories around the globe.
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