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Suriname, the First Amazon Nation Certified Malaria-Free by the WHO

Content Editor: Dr. Sampriti

July 10, 2025 at 1:50:54 PM

International Health News, Malaria Elimination, Public Health Action

Content Editor: Dr. Sampriti

  • On June 30, 2025, the World Health Organization officially announced that Suriname is free of malaria, making it the first country in the Amazon region to reach this milestone after successfully stopping local malaria transmission for at least three consecutive years. 

  • Suriname now joins 46 other countries and one territory worldwide, including 12 in the Americas, in this achievement.

  • Key strategies included

  1. community-driven diagnosis and treatment,

  2. extensive use of rapid tests and microscopy,

  3. artemisinin-based therapies combined with primaquine, and

  4. the distribution of insecticide-treated nets to mining and mobile populations.

  • The last local case of P. falciparum was recorded in 2018, and P. vivax in 2021. Although malaria no longer poses a threat to the population, Suriname must remain vigilant, particularly at its borders and among mobile groups, to prevent the disease's reintroduction.

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