29th March, 2023
Azerbaijan and Tajikistan has joined list of countries that have been declared as malaria-free by the World Health Organisation, WHO.
According to WHO, Azerbaijan detected its last case of locally transmitted Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax) malaria in 2012 while Tajikistan detected its last case in 2014.
A total of 41 countries and one territory have been certified as malaria-free by WHO, including 21 countries in the European Region, the global body said in a statement on Wednesday.
According to WHO, the certification of Azerbaijan and Tajikistan malaria-free followed a sustained, century-long effort to stamp out the disease by the two countries.
WHO said both governments achieved the feat through universal primary health care and support for actions targeted at malaria prevention – including, for example, prevention measures such as spraying the inside walls of homes with insecticides, promoting early detection and treatment of all cases, and maintaining the skills and capacities of all health workers engaged in malaria elimination.
“Both Azerbaijan and Tajikistan utilize national electronic malaria surveillance systems that provide nearly real-time detection of cases and allow for rapid investigations to determine if an infection is local or imported. Additional interventions include biological methods of larvae control, such as mosquito-eating fish, and water management measures to reduce malaria vectors.
“Since the 1920s, a sizeable portion of Tajikistan’s economy and, to a lesser extent Azerbaijan’s, has depended on agricultural production, particularly valuable cotton and rice exports.
“The agricultural irrigation systems in both countries have historically also posed a malaria risk to workers. Both countries have established systems to protect agricultural workers by providing free access to malaria diagnosis and treatment in the public health care system.
“Malaria control staff have the capacity to immediately test, diagnose and treat infected workers with appropriate antimalarial drugs, and to monitor and assess environmental, entomological and epidemiological risk factors. Additional programme activities include regularly assessing the judicious use of insecticides for vector control, implementing water management systems, and educating the public on malaria prevention.
“The people and governments of Azerbaijan and Tajikistan have worked long and hard to eliminate malaria,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“Their accomplishment is further proof that, with the right resources and political commitment, eliminating malaria is possible. I hope that other countries can learn from their experience.”
According to WHO, certification of malaria elimination is granted when a country has shown – with rigorous, credible evidence – that the chain of indigenous malaria transmission by Anopheles mosquitoes has been interrupted nationwide for at least the past three consecutive years.
WHO said a country must also demonstrate the capacity to prevent the re-establishment of transmission.
“Azerbaijan’s and Tajikistan’s achievement was possible thanks to sustained investment and the dedication of the health workforce, together with targeted prevention, early detection and treatment of all malaria cases. The WHO European Region is now two steps closer to becoming the first region in the world to be fully malaria-free,” said Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe.