WHO Declares China Malaria Free

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday, June 30, officially granted China a malaria-free certification as a token of celebration of the country’s successful elimination of the disease after 70 years of its struggles against malaria.

From 30 million malaria cases in the 1940s, China brought down that number over the last decades, to have finally achieved no cases in the last four years, the WHO said.

While making the announcement, WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said, “Today we congratulate the people of China on ridding the country of malaria. Their successes were hard-earned and came only after decades of targeted and sustained action.”

China’s efforts against malaria started in the 1950s, as the disease was rampant in the southern part of the country, close to other hotspots in mainland Southeast Asia.