“Malaria is as old as Egyptian civilization itself, but the disease that ravaged the pharaohs now belongs to their history and not their future,” said Tedros Adhanom-Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
“This certification of Egypt as malaria-free is truly historic and a testament to the commitment of the people and Government of Egypt to rid themselves of this ancient scourge.”
Egypt's success story represents a significant victory in the global fight against malaria, especially for a country with a population exceeding 100 million.
Growing list
In the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region, Egypt becomes the third country to receive this certification, after the United Arab Emirates and Morocco.
Egypt joins a group of 44 countries and one territory around the world that have achieved this status.
Tedros emphasized the broader implications of this achievement.
“I congratulate Egypt on this achievement, which is an inspiration to other countries in the region and shows what is possible with the right resources and tools.”
UN ready to support Cuba as millions are left without electricity
The UN team in Cuba is ready to support the Caribbean nation and mobilize technical assistance amid reports of continued power outages and a slow-moving tropical storm that threatens flooding in both urban and rural areas.
Cuba's power grid reportedly failed on Friday after weeks of rolling outages, leaving some 10 million people without power. There have been three other accidents as of Monday, all aggravated by Tropical Storm Oscar, which made landfall on Sunday.
According to press reports, the Cuban government has said that the weeks of worsening blackouts are due to infrastructure problems, fuel shortages and increased demand, along with the impact of the United States trade embargo and the inability to purchase spare parts for Cuban fuel. plants, as a result of economic sanctions.
Significant rain
“The strong but slow-moving storm has generated significant rainfall in eastern and central parts of Cuba over the past few days,” UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said at the regular news conference in New York on Monday.
“The slow movement of the storm at only four kilometers per hour will aggravate the situation with more precipitation and possible flooding in the coming hours.”
He said the UN was aware of the continued reported outages and added that, under the leadership of the Resident Coordinator in Cuba, Francisco Pichón, “we are ready to support and mobilize technical assistance if necessary. The UN Emergency Technical Team is activated and in contact with its national counterparts.”
Haq said the storm was also affecting the Bahamas, where the UN is working alongside local and regional authorities to respond as necessary.
Guterres calls for swift investigation into killing of opposition figures in Mozambique
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for calm in Mozambique following the murder of two opposition figures amid a dispute over elections held earlier this month.
Elvino Dias, legal advisor to presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, and Paulo Guambe, legal representative of the PODEMOS political party, were shot dead in the capital Maputo on Friday night.
PODEMOS rejected the provisional results of the October 9 presidential election, which showed that the FRELIMO party, which has governed Mozambique for almost 50 years, was in the lead.
Secretary-General Guterres urged authorities to quickly investigate the killings and bring the perpetrators to justice.
He called on all Mozambicans, including political leaders and their supporters, to remain calm, exercise restraint and reject all forms of violence before the official announcement of the election results.
He also reaffirmed the UN's unwavering support for peace and stability in Mozambique during this important phase of the country's history.
WHO supports South Sudan amid severe flooding
The World Health Organization (WHO) is working with authorities and partners in South Sudan as the country faces some of the worst flooding in decades, affecting 42 of 78 counties and affecting some 890,000 people.
Although heavy downpours during the rainy season between April and November often cause flooding, they have become increasingly severe due to climate change, the WHO said.
So far, more than 226,000 people have been displaced and roads and key infrastructure have been submerged. This includes 58 health centers, while another 90 are inaccessible.
The floods have exacerbated the already serious humanitarian situation in the country, which hosts almost 800,000 refugees and returnees fleeing the war in neighboring Sudan.
Most of the refugees and returnees pass through Renk county, Upper Nile state, where two suspected cases of cholera have been detected. Meanwhile, malaria is on the rise, with more than 120,000 suspected cases and 31 suspected deaths as of the end of September.
WHO has distributed around 88 metric tons of emergency health kits in Renk and other key locations to help flood-affected communities. The kits can treat more than 870,000 people and include critical medical supplies such as cholera treatment and anti-malaria medications.
