Egypt becomes third Eastern Mediterranean region to be malaria-free

By Princeton Chiu

Malaria is a life threatening disease that has existed for thousands of years, a disease caused by parasites- this means that the disease cannot be spread through physical contact. Malaria is typically contracted from infected female Anopheles mosquitoes, a type of mosquito that can carry human malaria. Malaria tends to prevail in tropical regions with warmer climates, such as parts of South America, southeast asia, Oceania and sub saharan Africa.

Malaria often causes symptoms ranging from high temperature to headaches to diarrhea. A main cause of deaths from malaria is through the fact that malaria can damage your kidneys, livers or even cause your spleen to rupture.

Gathany, J. (2004). File:Anopheles stephensi.jpeg [Photograph]. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anopheles_stephensi.jpeg

Throughout history, malaria has been a plaguing, life-threatening disease that existed since millennia ago. One example is King Tutankhamen, a ruler of ancient Egypt. In 2010, scientists discovered malaria in the remains of his mummified blood. It was also commonly believed that widespread malaria was the main cause of the downfall of ancient Rome.

Even now, there are many deaths caused by widespread malaria. In 2022 alone, 608,000 lives were stolen by malaria. In 85 endemic (disease regularly occurring in a region or country) countries, there were 249 million confirmed cases.

Fortunately, malaria is slowly (and finally) being beaten by mankind. Thanks to the discovery made by Alphonse Lavéran, malaria was discovered to be a parasite that attacks red blood cells.

Recently, another country has reached a significant milestone. That being Egypt- who was recently declared malaria-free by the World Health Organization (WHO).

On October 20, 2024, Egypt became the third country in the Eastern Mediterranean to be declared malaria-free by the World Health Organization. The other two being Morocco and UAE (United Arab Emirates).

Countries that have proven to have at least achieved 3 years without endemic cases of malaria can apply for a WHO certification of malaria-free status.

“Receiving the malaria elimination certificate today is not the end of the journey but the beginning of a new phase. We must now work tirelessly and vigilantly to sustain our achievement through maintaining the highest standards for surveillance, diagnosis and treatment, integrated vector management and sustaining our effective and rapid response to imported cases. Our continued multisectoral efforts will be critical to preserving Egypt's malaria-free status,” said H.E. Dr Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister of Egypt in a statement.

Efforts to combat malaria were put in place early on in the 1920s. For example, the cultivation of agricultural crops and rice production were prohibited near people’s homes.

At the time, most people lived near the Nile river. This led to a malaria prevalence as high as 40%. In 1930, malaria was considered a “notifiable disease”, which led to the collective effort of Egypt to combat malaria.

Fast forward to 1969, the construction of Aswan dam skyrocketed breeding rates between mosquitoes, which led to a spike in malaria cases. History repeated itself in 2014, where there were spikes in cases due to the dam, but was controlled much more effectively this time.

Malaria treatment is free for all Egyptian residents.

“Today, Egypt has proven that with vision, dedication, and unity we can overcome the greatest challenges. This success in eliminating malaria is not just a victory for public health but a sign of hope for the entire world, especially for other endemic countries in our region. This achievement is the result of sustained, robust surveillance investments in a strong, integrated health system, where community engagement and partnerships have enabled progress. Furthermore, collaboration and support to endemic countries, such as Sudan, remain a priority,” said Dr Hanan Balkhy in a statement.