L’Azerbaijan and the Tajikistan have been certified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as having eliminated malaria in their territory. This certification is the result of sustained efforts made for almost a century by the two countries to eradicate the disease.
Certification of malaria elimination corresponds to official recognition by WHO of the status of a country free from malaria. Certification is granted when a country has demonstrated – through rigorous and reliable evidence – that the autochthonous chain of transmission of malaria by mosquitoes Anopheles has been discontinued nationwide for at least the past three consecutive years. A country must also demonstrate its ability to prevent re-establishment of transmission.
Azerbaijan has detected its last case of malaria in Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax) transmitted locally in 2012 and Tajikistan in 2014. With today’s announcement, these are now 41 countries and one territory total that have been certified malaria-free by WHO, including 21 countries in the European Region.
Source: World Health Organization