WHO Certifies Timor-Leste Certified Malaria-Free

The World Health Organization recently certified Timor-Leste, an island country in Southeast Asia, as malaria-free following a 23-year eradication campaign. The certification follows a nationwide campaign that reduced malaria cases from more than 223,000 in 2006 to zero indigenous cases from 2021 onward.

Countries are eligible for malaria-free certification when they demonstrate that indigenous malaria transmission has been interrupted nationwide for at least the past three consecutive years and maintain the capacity to detect and respond to any potential cases.

With this announcement, WHO has now certified 47 countries and one territory as malaria-free, including two additional countries in the Southeast Asia Region.

About Malaria

AABB encourages members to review the Emerging Infectious Diseases Fact Sheets for additional information about malaria, including its causative Plasmodium species, transmission risks, donor screening criteria and prevention strategies.