WHO certifies Egypt as a country to fight malaria

The World Health Organization (WHO) has certified Egypt as a malaria-fighting country.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on the 20th local time, "Malaria is as old as Egyptian civilization, but it is no longer a disease of the future, and Egypt's certification as a malaria eradication country is historic."

Malaria is an acute fever caused by mosquito bites that infects more than 200 million people worldwide every year, and about 500,000 of them die.

To become a malaria-free country with eradication certification from the WHO, there must be no malaria cases for three consecutive years, and a health system that can respond quickly to infectious diseases must be in place.

Genetic analysis of mummies also revealed that Tutankhamun, who ruled Egypt for nine years from 1333 to 1324 BC, also suffered from malaria.

Currently, 44 countries, including Egypt, have been certified as malaria-free, and Egypt has become the third certified country in the eastern Mediterranean region after the United Arab Emirates and Morocco, the WHO explained.