Global Fund Applauds Azerbaijan and Tajikistan for Eliminating Malaria
GENEVA – In a remarkable public health achievement, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan were today certified malaria-free by the World Health Organization (WHO). The certification is granted when a country proves that it has interrupted indigenous transmission of the disease for at least three consecutive years. “It’s an extraordinary outcome,” said Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund. “We applaud Azerbaijan and Tajikistan’s success, which was hard-won and came only after decades of concerted action. Their success shows that malaria elimination is a viable goal for all countries.” Azerbaijan detected its last case of locally transmitted malaria in 2012; Tajikistan reached the same milestone in 2014. Both countries are part of E2025, an initiative launched by WHO and supported by the Global Fund and other donors to accelerate elimination in 25 more countries by 2025. With today’s announcement, a total of 41 countries and one territory have been certified as malaria-free by WHO, an...