Malaria, a potentially fatal human disease caused by parasites and transmitted through bites, has been completely eradicated from Egypt, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced this Sunday, October 20.
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This result “ truly historic » is the culmination of nearly a century of efforts to eradicate malariawelcomed the WHO on Sunday by announcing the total eradication of the diseaseEgypt.
“ Malaria is as old as Egyptian civilization itself, but the disease that struck the pharaohs is now part of its history, not its future. “, declared the head of theWHOTedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in a press release.
“ Egypt’s certification as a malaria-free country is truly historic and demonstrates the commitment of the Egyptian people and government to ridding itself of this ancient scourge “, he added.
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The African continent mainly affected
Certification of malaria elimination is granted by the WHO when a country has proven that the chain of malaria transmission by mosquitoes has been interrupted nationally for at least the previous three consecutive years. Globally, 44 countries and one territory have been certified malaria-free.
And according to the WHO, malaria kills more than 600,000 people each year, 95% of them Africa. However, if the continent accounts for 94% of cases of the disease, five African countries appear on this list:AlgeriaTHE Cape VerdeTHE Lesotho, Mauritius and the Seychelles.
Also readHow did Cape Verde manage to eliminate malaria?
On the other hand, 70% of the global malaria burden falls on 11 African countries: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and Tanzania.