Pakistan praises ‘all weather’ friend China after WHO declares malaria-free

Islamabad: A day after the World Health Organisation (WHO) officially declared China a malaria-free country, Pakistan felicitated the “all weather strategic cooperative partner” on achieving this milestone.

“Congratulations to Govt & people of China on ridding the country of Malaria as certified by WHO. From 30m cases annually in 1940 to eradicating mosquito-borne disease is indeed a great achievement. Good to see our “all weather strategic cooperative partner”achieve this milestone,” tweeted Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafiz Chaudhri.

Following a 70-year effort, China was awarded a malaria-free certification by the WHO – a notable feat for a country that reported 30 million cases of the disease annually in the 1940s.

“Today we congratulate the people of China on ridding the country of malaria,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General.

“Their success was hard-earned and came only after decades of targeted and sustained action. With this announcement, China joins the growing number of countries that are showing the world that a malaria-free future is a viable goal.”