China was officially certified ‘malaria-free’ by the World Health Organization (WHO) on June 29, 2021, becoming the second country in the Asia Pacific region to get the tag, after Sri Lanka in 2016.
- China is the first country in the WHO Western Pacific Region to be awarded a malaria-free certification in more than 3 decades. Other countries in the region that have achieved this status include Australia (1981), Singapore (1982) and Brunei Darussalam (1987).
- The Asia Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance (APLMA), Asia Pacific Malaria Elimination Network (APMEN) and their partner The RBM Partnership welcomed China’s achievement and noted the country’s contributions in the fight against malaria.
- Globally, 40 countries and territories have been granted a malaria-free certification from WHO – including, most recently, El Salvador (2021), Algeria (2019), Argentina (2019), Paraguay (2018) and Uzbekistan (2018).
