¡Cero casos de malaria! China oficialmente certificado libre de malaria

On June 30, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a press release stating that China has officially obtained the WHO certification for malaria elimination. The release noted that China has reduced its annual malaria cases from 30 million in the 1940s to zero, which stands as a remarkable feat.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO, extended congratulations to China on eliminating malaria in the press release. He said, "China's success was hard-earned and came only after decades of sustained and targeted prevention and control efforts."

Takeshi Kasai, Regional Director of the WHO Western Pacific Region, commented, "China's relentless efforts to reach this crucial milestone have demonstrated that strong political commitment and strengthened national health systems can overcome the major public health challenge posed by malaria. China's achievement has brought the Western Pacific Region one step closer to the goal of a malaria-free zone."

In accordance with WHO standards, a country or region can only be certified malaria-free if it has reported no indigenous malaria cases for three consecutive years, established effective rapid malaria detection and monitoring systems, and formulated malaria prevention and control plans. China has reported zero local indigenous malaria cases for four consecutive years since 2017 and officially applied to the WHO for national malaria elimination certification last year.

The WHO also detailed China's practices and experience in eliminating malaria in the press release. Chinese scientists discovered and extracted artemisinin from traditional Chinese medicines. Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies (ACTs), which are derived from artemisinin, remain the most effective antimalarial drugs to date. Tu Youyou was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for this groundbreaking discovery. Additionally, China ranks among the earliest countries in the world to extensively use insecticide-treated nets for malaria prevention.

Furthermore, China has established a national web-based reporting system for infectious diseases including malaria and a network of malaria laboratory testing facilities. It has refined surveillance systems for malaria vectors and plasmodium drug resistance, developed the operational strategy of "tracking clues and eradicating sources", and summed up the "1-3-7" working model for malaria reporting, investigation and response as well as the "3+1 border defense line". The "1-3-7" model mandates that malaria cases be reported within one day, case verification and epidemiological investigation be completed within three days, and foci investigation and control measures be implemented within seven days. This model has been recognized as a global benchmark for malaria elimination and officially incorporated into WHO technical documents for worldwide promotion and application.

Pedro Alonso, Director of the WHO Global Malaria Programme, spoke highly of China's achievements and experience in malaria elimination. He stated, "Over the past decades, China has made unremitting explorations that have yielded tangible results and exerted a significant impact on the global fight against malaria. The exploration and innovation efforts of the Chinese government and people have accelerated the pace of global malaria elimination."

According to WHO statistics, there were approximately 229 million malaria cases and 409,000 related deaths worldwide in 2019. Among these, the WHO African Region accounted for over 90% of the global malaria cases and deaths.