Cairo (Special about Egypt) – The World Health Organization announced that a malaria-free certificate was given to Egypt, indicating that the country has become completely free of this disease, which represents an important achievement in the field of public health for a country with a population of over 100 million people.
Egypt is the third country to receive a malaria-free certificate in the region, after the UAE, which received it in 2007) and Morocco in 2010. With this announcement, there are a total of 44 countries and one region- experienced worldwide on the certificate from the World Health Organization.
The Malaria Elimination Certificate is the official recognition by the World Health Organization of a country’s disease-free status. The certificate is given when a country shows with strong and reliable evidence that the chain of local malaria transmission by Anopheles mosquitoes has been broken throughout the country for at least the last three years .
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the organization, said, “Malaria is as old as the civilization of Egypt itself, but this disease that affected the Pharaohs is now part of the history of Egypt , not the future. “
He said: “Declaring that Egypt is free of malaria is a truly historic achievement, and a testament to the commitment of the people and government of Egypt to get rid of this ancient scourge. “I congratulate Egypt on this achievement, which is a source of inspiration for other countries in the region, and which shows what can be achieved by using the resources and -proper tools.”
How did Egypt succeed in eradicating malaria?
By 2001, malaria was completely under control, and the Ministry of Health and Population set its sights on eliminating it through an aggressive, time-limited attack on locally transmitted malaria cases.
Egypt saw a small local outbreak of this disease in the Aswan Governorate in 2014, and it was successfully dealt with through early case identification, prompt treatment, grass control, and public awareness.
Over the past ten years, Egypt has made great progress in expanding access to health services for the population. It is worth noting that 95% of Egyptians live within 5 kilometers of a primary health care facility. Diagnosis and treatment of this disease is provided free of charge to the entire population, including unregistered refugees from Sudan, according to the World Health Organization.
Malaria control in Egypt has been successfully integrated with the management of other vector-borne diseases. In 2016, Egypt established a higher committee for integrated vector management, with representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of the Environment, and the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation. The committee is working to strengthen the integrated approach to dealing with grass-borne diseases, by securing funding through collaboration and coordination between ministries.
The World Health Organization notes that Egypt’s long-standing cross-border partnership with neighboring countries, including Sudan, played a key role in preventing re-establishment spread of local malaria, paving the way for the country to be officially certified as free from the disease.
According to a statement OrganizationEgypt provides free access to basic health services for migrants, regardless of their legal status. Essential supplies, including rapid diagnostic tests and antimalarial drugs, have been delivered to designated hospitals, particularly at border entry points in Aswan.
The link has been copied
2024-10-20 13:22:00
#World #Health #Organization #Egypt #malariafree #certificate
