Georgia certified malaria-free by WHO after century-long struggle

GEORGIA—Georgia has been officially certified malaria-free by the World Health Organization (WHO), marking the successful conclusion of nearly a century-long effort to eliminate the disease.

This milestone comes shortly after Egypt was granted the same certification in October 2024, making it a year of celebration for malaria elimination across the globe.

With this announcement, Georgia joins 45 other countries and one territory that have earned the prestigious certification, demonstrating the global progress made in the fight against malaria.

The final decision to award a malaria-free certification is made by the WHO Director-General, based on recommendations from the Technical Advisory Group on Malaria Elimination and Certification, alongside validation from the Malaria Policy Advisory Group.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised Georgia’s commitment, congratulating the country for its decades of targeted efforts to eradicate malaria, one of the world’s deadliest diseases.

He expressed hope that Georgia’s success serves as inspiration, showing that a malaria-free world is indeed within reach.

Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, also acknowledged the achievement, noting that with Georgia’s success, the WHO European Region is now closer than ever to becoming the world’s first malaria-free region.

He emphasized that this accomplishment was only made possible through sustained investment in healthcare, the dedication of the health workforce, and effective malaria prevention, detection, and treatment strategies.

Malaria elimination certification is granted by WHO only when a country has proven, beyond reasonable doubt, that indigenous malaria transmission has been interrupted for at least three consecutive years.

Georgia’s Health Minister, Mikheil Sarjveladze, highlighted that this certification is a testament to the resilience of the country’s healthcare system and its ability to tackle critical health challenges.

Malaria has plagued Georgia for centuries, with three major malaria parasite species—P. falciparum, P. malariae, and P. vivax—endemic in the country before systematic control efforts began in the early 1900s.

In the 1920s, malaria affected around 30% of the population. Large-scale control programs in the 1940s, coupled with improved diagnostic and treatment access, significantly reduced malaria cases. However, World War II caused a temporary resurgence of the disease.

After the war, Georgia launched a comprehensive malaria elimination program, which successfully interrupted the transmission of different malaria strains by the 1970s.

 Despite a 25-year period of being malaria-free, Georgia saw a resurgence in 2002, with 474 new cases reported.

By 2005, Georgia joined nine other countries in signing the Tashkent Declaration, reinforcing its commitment to eliminating malaria.

Intense interventions followed, and by 2009, the last indigenous malaria case was recorded.

Today, with the certification of Georgia as malaria-free, the WHO European Region has made impressive progress, with only Türkiye remaining to be certified.

As part of the Ashgabat Statement of 2017, Georgia and other signatories committed to maintaining their malaria-free status through continued efforts.

The certification process also underscored Georgia’s well-functioning health system, strong public-private cooperation, and political will to maintain this achievement.

Sign up HERE to receive our email newsletters with the latest news and insights from Africa and around the world, and follow us on our WhatsApp channel for updates.

Newer Post

Thumbnail for Georgia certified malaria-free by WHO after century-long struggle

Danat Al Emarat Hospital partners with UK’s ProFaM to offer ovarian tissue freezing in UAE

Older Post

Thumbnail for Georgia certified malaria-free by WHO after century-long struggle

Zimbabwe issues warning on falsified ABHAYRAB rabies vaccine

Be the first to leave a comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.