WHO certifies Egypt malaria-free after decades of elimination work

On 20 October 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially certified Egypt as free of malaria. The announcement recognised that the country had stopped local transmission of the disease and had shown it could prevent its return.

Malaria, spread by Anopheles mosquitoes, had affected the Nile Valley for thousands of years. Egyptian authorities worked against it for decades through mosquito control, surveillance, case investigation and treatment. Certification requires a country to demonstrate, with evidence reviewed by independent experts, that the chain of local transmission has been interrupted for at least three consecutive years and that systems are in place to detect and respond to any imported cases.

The decision made Egypt one of a growing number of countries given malaria-free status by the WHO. It mattered for public health and also as a sign of the strength of Egypt's health system, which has since been cited in WHO assessments of other campaigns, including the national drive against hepatitis C.