In a major turn of events, Egypt recently was declared malaria-free by the World Health Organization (WHO).
As per BBC, the UN public health agency labeled this milestone as “truly historic.”
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement, “Malaria is as old as Egyptian civilization itself, but the disease that plagued pharaohs now belongs to its history.”
Malaria is a life-threatening disease spread to humans by some types of mosquitoes and kills at least 600,000 people every year.
Egyptian authorities began their first effort to eliminate the disease nearly 100 years ago.
WHO praised in a statement, "The Egyptian government and people for their efforts to end a disease that has been present in the country since ancient times."
It is pertinent to note here that 44 countries and one territory have reached this remarkable milestone so far.
The UN Public Health Agency noted that the first efforts to reduce human-mosquito contact in Egypt began in the 1920s, when rice cultivation and agricultural crops were banned near homes.
However, vaccines are now available, but the best way to prevent it is to avoid mosquitoes.
