After a 70 year battle against the disease, China has finally been awarded a malaria-free certification from WHO (the world health organisation). Other countries in the Western Pacific Region who have also achieved this certification include Australia in 1981, as well as Singapore just a year later and Brunei Darussalam.
So how did China achieve this? Since the 1950’s health authorities in China have worked vigorously to eradicate the disease once and for all. They took numerous preventative measures such as reducing mosquito breeding grounds and insecticide spraying in homes and other areas.
By 1990, cases in China had fallen to 117,000, with deaths being reduced by 95%. Then after 2003 the number of cases fell by around roughly 5000 per year, thanks to global support and increased measures to fight the disease. Rolling into the year 2020, the country had reported zero indigenous cases for four consecutive years, leading to their application for a certification of malaria elimination.
This is a huge achievement for the country after their near over 70 year battle against the disease. Other countries have also recently accomplished the same feat, with WHO awarding the malaria free certification to El Salvador (2021), Algeria, Argentina, and Paraguy, all between the years of 2018-2021.
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