The Malaria-Free Middle East and North African countries still face danger from the disease
Technical experts from across the Middle East and North Africa recently convened at the World Health Organization’s Regional Office for a special meeting on preventing local malaria transmission becoming reestablished in countries that have eliminated the disease.
Hosted at the WHO Regional Office in Cairo, Egypt and in collaboration with the Global Institute for Disease Elimination (GLIDE), the meeting brought together representatives from Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries to reinforce cross-border collaboration, strengthen surveillance and align regional strategies with the Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016–2030.
Except for Yemen, most of the MENA Region is malaria-free but given malaria vector presence, ongoing malaria transmission in neighbouring countries, population movement and climate change, the Region faces major challenges in sustaining elimination.
“Eliminating malaria is a significant public health achievement for countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region—but the threat of resurgence remains real,” said Dr Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean.
“This initiative showcases how innovative, data-driven collaboration can help protect these hard-won gains. Together with our Member States and partners, we are strengthening policies, surveillance systems, and response capacities to sustain malaria elimination and move closer to a malaria-free world,” added Dr Balkhy.
The meeting stems directly from an ongoing collaborative initiative between the Regional Office, GLIDE and Ministries of Health from the MENA Region.
The initiative is building an integrated knowledge platform and regional malaria database to guide prevention of re-establishment of local malaria transmission.
Through the collaboration, the experts are building a database that brings together 100 years of historical data, maps of malaria vector habitats and environmental risk factors, creating the Region’s first integrated malaria archive.
Experts stated that, eliminating malaria is a triumph – but keeping it at bay the main challenge.
Through the partnership with WHO EMRO and countries across the MENA region, GLIDE is helping turn data into action to safeguard hard-won gains and prevent resurgence.
The meeting reportedly marks a pivotal step toward regional solidarity and momentum—and unveils the first systematic quantitative and qualitative documentation of malaria elimination efforts in the MENA region.
“The resulting resource repository, built from country data and decades of regional experience, will be a cornerstone for this foundational effort: helping countries anticipate risks, prevent reintroduction, and stop the reestablishment of local malaria transmission,” said Simon Bland, Chief Executive Officer for GLIDE.
The initiative reflects how regional data infrastructure can empower evidence-based policymaking.
To fully harness the potential of novel data, accessibility is key.
Through the project – with countries’ agreement – data will be available for national and regional partners to use and build upon. It is a model example of how accessible, regional data infrastructures can drive informed, resilient public health decisions.
Over the course of the 3-day meeting, participants engaged with country presentations and case studies, and work on country malaria profiles and action planning for cross-border collaboration.
A key highlight of the meeting will be the launch of the new WHO guidelines for the prevention of re-establishment of local malaria transmission.
Expected outcomes include a shared regional action plan, the identification of priority needs and the setting up of a collaborative network for ongoing coordination and information exchange.