WHO has confirmed that Azerbaijan and Tajikistan are free of malaria

The World Health Organization (WHO) has certified Azerbaijan and Tajikistan for achieving the elimination of malaria in their territories. The certification follows an ongoing, century-long effort by the two countries to eradicate the disease.

“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 success is another proof that, with the right resources and political commitment, the elimination of malaria is possible. I hope other countries can learn from their experience.”

The Malaria Elimination Certificate is the official WHO recognition of the country’s malaria-free status. Certification is awarded when a country demonstrates—with rigorous, credible evidence—that there is a chain of indigenous malaria transmission Anopheles mosquito control has been discontinued throughout the country for at least the last three consecutive years. The state must also demonstrate the ability to prevent re-establishment of transmission.

“Azerbaijan’s and Tajikistan’s achievement was made possible by the continued investment and commitment of the health workforce, along 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 completely malaria-free,” said Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe.

Azerbaijan has discovered its latest case of local transmission Plasmodium vivax (P.vivax) of malaria in 2012 and Tajikistan in 2014. With today’s announcement, the total 41 countries and 1 territory WHO has confirmed that it is free of malaria, including 21 countries in the European region.

Investing in universal health care and malaria control

Malaria control efforts in Azerbaijan and Tajikistan have been strengthened by a series of investments and public health policies that have enabled the governments to eliminate the disease over time and maintain malaria-free status.

For more than six decades, both governments have guaranteed universal primary health care. They strongly supported targeted interventions against malaria – including, for example, prevention measures such as spraying the interior walls of homes with insecticides, promoting early detection and treatment of all cases, and maintaining the skills and capacity of all health workers involved in malaria elimination.

Both Azerbaijan and Tajikistan use national electronic malaria surveillance systems that enable near-real-time case detection and enable rapid investigations to determine whether the infection is local or imported. Additional interventions include biological methods of larval control, such as mosquito-eating fish, and water management measures to reduce malaria vectors.

Since the 1920s, a significant part of the economy of Tajikistan and, to a lesser extent, the economy of Azerbaijan, has depended on agricultural production, particularly the valuable exports of cotton and rice.

Agricultural irrigation systems in both countries have historically also posed a risk of malaria to workers. Both countries have established systems to protect agricultural workers by providing free access to malaria diagnosis and treatment in the public health system.

Malaria control personnel have the ability to promptly test, diagnose, and treat infected workers with appropriate antimalarial drugs, and to monitor and assess environmental, entomological, and epidemiological risk factors. Additional program activities include regular assessment of the judicious use of insecticides for vector control, implementation of water management systems, and public education on malaria prevention.

Note to the editor

Malaria-free WHO certificate

The final decision on the granting of a certificate of freedom from malaria is made by the Director-General of WHO, based on the recommendation of the independent Technical Advisory Group for the Elimination and Certification of Malaria. For more information on WHO’s malaria-free certification process, visit this link.