Malaria-free certification: Azerbaijan and Tajikistan

The World Health Organization has granted certification of malaria elimination

On 29 March 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) certified Azerbaijan and Tajikistan for achieving elimination of malaria in their territories. Azerbaijan detected its last case of locally transmitted Plasmodium vivax malaria in 2012 and Tajikistan in 2014. A total of 41 countries and 1 territory globally have now achieved malaria-free status [1].

A country can apply to the WHO for certification once criteria are met; countries must prove that nationwide, local transmission of all types of human malaria parasites have been interrupted for at least the past three consecutive years. Countries are also required to show they have a fully functional surveillance and response system in place to prevent re-establishment of local transmission [2].

The Country Information pages for Azerbaijan and Tajikistan have been updated to reflect that malaria is no longer a risk in these countries.