Belize Celebrates Malaria-Free Status on Malaria Day in the Americas
On Malaria Day in the Americas, the Ministry of Health and Wellness highlighted Belize’s success in becoming malaria-free, with the World Health Organization (WHO) officially certifying the country on June 19, 2023. Belize has now gone nearly six years without local transmission, reporting its last case in December 2018.
The Ministry of Health shared, “Today we join in the celebration of Malaria Day in the Americas. The day is used to raise an important opportunity for countries of this region to engage various stakeholders in aggressively fighting malaria.”
The theme this year is ‘Expanding access to malaria diagnosis and treatment without barriers.”
Belize’s efforts include a robust malaria diagnosis network with 8 malaria laboratories, 10 microscopists, and 362 community-level testing sites, 223 of which offer both microscopic diagnosis and rapid diagnostic tests.
The Ministry also expressed its appreciation for the collaboration of malaria volunteers, health workers, and regional partners like the Pan American Health Organization and the Inter-American Development Bank.
This year marks the 18th annual Malaria Day in the Americas.
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