WHO: China free of malaria

The World Health Organization declared China free of malaria on Wednesday, hailing its "notable feat" of driving annual cases down from 30 million to zero in 70 years.

The WHO said China had become the first country in the Western Pacific region to eliminate the mosquito-borne disease in over three decades, after Australia, Singapore and Brunei.

"Their success was hard-earned and came only after decades of targeted and sustained action," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, said in a statement released on Wednesday. "With this announcement, China joins the growing number of countries that are showing the world that a malaria-free future is a viable goal."

Malaria is a disease transmitted by mosquito bites or blood infusion. In 2019, about 229 million cases were reported worldwide, causing 409,000 deaths, according to a WHO report.

In China, it was estimated that 30 million people suffered from the scourge annually in the 1940s, with a death rate of 1 percent. At that time, about 80 percent of districts and counties across the country grappled with endemic malaria, the National Health Commission said.

In analyzing keys to the country's success, the WHO pinpointed three factors: the rollout of basic health insurance plans that ensure the affordability of malaria diagnosis and treatment for all; multisector collaboration; and implementation of an innovative disease control strategy that has strengthened surveillance and containment.

The Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that the elimination of malaria is one of China's contribution to global human rights progress and human health.

It's good news for China and the world that the country was granted the malaria-free certification by the WHO, ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a daily news briefing. The Communist Party of China and Chinese government have always given top priority to safeguarding people's health, safety and well-being, he said.

China reported no domestic malaria infections for the first time in 2017, and has recorded no local cases since.

In November, China filed an application for malaria-free certification to the WHO. In May, experts convened by the WHO conducted evaluations in Hubei, Anhui, Yunnan and Hainan provinces.

The certification is granted to a country when it registers no local infections for at least three consecutive years and demonstrates the capacity to prevent possible transmission in the future. Forty countries and territories have been issued with the certificate so far, according to the WHO.

However, Zhou Xiaonong, head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention's National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, said China still records about 3,000 imported malaria cases a year, and Anopheles, the genus of mosquito that can spread malarial parasites to humans, still exists in some regions where malaria used to be a heavy public health burden.

"The best approach to consolidating the outcomes of malaria elimination and rooting out the risk posed by imported cases is to join hands with foreign countries to wipe out the disease globally," he said.

Since 2012, China has initiated cooperation programs with overseas authorities to help train rural doctors and enhance their ability to detect and treat malaria cases.

The strategy has led to a huge decrease in the incidence rate in areas worst hit by the disease, Zhou said, adding that the anti-malaria program is expected to be launched in four more countries.

He added that more efforts should be devoted to promoting domestic anti-malaria products overseas, including artemisinin, diagnostic tools and insecticide-treated nets.

Wei Xiaoyu, a senior project officer at the Bill& Melinda Gates Foundation, suggested China cultivate more talent with on-the-ground experience in countries severely hit by the disease, so that they can understand local culture and systems, and improve their skills.