WHO certifies Egypt as malaria-free

Egypt was certified as malaria-free on Sunday, with the World Health Organization calling the achievement "truly historic" and the culmination of nearly a century of work to stamp out the disease.

"Malaria is as old as Egyptian civilisation itself, but the disease that plagued pharaohs now belongs to its history and not its future," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.

"This certification of Egypt as malaria-free is truly historic, and a testament to the commitment of the people and government of Egypt to rid themselves of this ancient scourge."

Globally, 44 countries and one territory have now been certified as malaria-free.

Certification is granted by the WHO when a country has proven that the chain of indigenous malaria transmission by Anopheles mosquitoes has been interrupted nationwide for at least the previous three consecutive years.

A country must also demonstrate the ability to prevent the re-establishment of transmission.

Malaria kills more than 600,000 people every year, 95 percent of them in Africa, according to the WHO.