The capital of Georgia is Tbilisi. Georgia has officially been awarded the status of a country free of malaria Healthcare
The World Health Organization has recognized Georgia as a country free of malaria. Thus, today Georgia has joined 45 countries and 1 territory that have reached this milestone earlier.
“Today, we congratulate the people of Georgia on decades of dedicated and consistent action to eliminate malaria, one of the world’s leading causes of death,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
“Georgia’s success gives us hope that a malaria-free world is possible,” he added.
Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, said that with the elimination of malaria in Georgia, the WHO European Region is one step closer to being certified as the world’s first malaria-free region.
“This does not happen in a vacuum, it is possible thanks to sustained investment, the dedication of health workers and targeted efforts to prevent and detect malaria early and effectively treat all cases,” said Kluge.
A certificate of malaria elimination is issued by WHO when a country can prove that the chain of transmission has been interrupted throughout its territory and that no cases of infection have been reported for at least three consecutive years.
Georgian Health Minister Mikheil Sarjveladze noted that his country’s certification as malaria-free is recognition of the stability of its health care system. “This success means that Georgia can address important health issues,” he said.
A Hundred Years of Fighting Malaria
Malaria has plagued Georgia since ancient times. Before systematic control measures were introduced in the early 1900s, at least three species of malaria parasite were endemic in the country: P. falciparum, P. malariae, and P. vivax. In the 1920s, an estimated 30 percent of the population suffered from P. vivax malaria.
By 1940, large-scale mosquito control programs and improved access to diagnostic and treatment facilities had helped to significantly reduce the number of malaria cases. However, several years later, World War II brought a resurgence of the disease due to population displacement and the strain on the medical system.
In the post-war period, Georgia launched an intensive malaria eradication program that included the use of new drugs, insecticide spraying, and enhanced entomological surveillance. The country successfully interrupted transmission of P. falciparum by 1953, P. malariae by 1960, and P. vivax by 1970.
Georgia remained malaria-free for 25 years, but by 2002 malaria had re-emerged in the country, with 474 cases reported.
Elimination
In 2005, Georgia, along with nine other countries in the WHO European Region, signed the Tashkent Declaration, reaffirming its commitment to eliminate malaria. Subsequent stepped-up measures have significantly reduced malaria incidence in Georgia, with the last indigenous case reported in the country in 2009. By 2015, all 53 countries in the WHO European Region, including Georgia, reported no locally transmitted cases of malaria.
To prevent the resurgence of transmission in the region, countries that signed the Tashkent Declaration in 2017 adopted the Ashgabat Statement, committing to make every effort to remain malaria-free. Turkey is the only country in the European Region that has not yet been certified by WHO.
In 2024, during the process of Georgia’s certification as a malaria-free country, the members of the Technical Advisory Group for Malaria Elimination Certification noted that the health system in Georgia is well-functioning and adequately resourced.
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