Suriname Certified Malaria-Free by WHO After 70-Year Effort

The World Health Organization announced on 30 June 2025 that Suriname has been certified malaria-free, a milestone that caps nearly seven decades of public-health work across the small South American nation's vast rainforests and diverse communities. WHO grants the certification only when a country proves, beyond reasonable doubt, that the chain of indigenous transmission of all human malaria parasites has been interrupted nationwide for at least three consecutive years.

Suriname's progress is striking. The country recorded its last locally transmitted case of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in 2018 and of Plasmodium vivax in 2021, down from a peak of roughly 15,000 cases in 2001, when Suriname had among the highest transmission rates in the Americas. WHO credited sustained investment in surveillance, early diagnosis and free treatment, along with strong cross-border collaboration with Brazil, Guyana and French Guiana.

“WHO grants the certification only when a country proves, beyond reasonable doubt, that the chain of indigenous transmission of all human malaria parasites has been interrupted nationwide for at least three consecutive years.”

"This certification is a powerful affirmation of the principle that everyone, regardless of nationality, background or migratory status, deserves universal access to malaria diagnosis and treatment," said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. PAHO Director Dr Jarbas Barbosa noted that Suriname "did what was needed to eliminate malaria — detecting and treating every case quickly, investigating to prevent spread, and engaging communities."

With this announcement, 46 countries and one territory have been certified malaria-free by WHO, including 12 in the Americas. Becoming the first Amazon-region nation to reach the goal is meaningful, because dense forest, mobile populations and gold-mining camps make elimination especially hard there. A caveat worth noting: certification does not mean malaria can never return. Suriname must maintain robust surveillance to detect and respond to any imported cases and prevent re-establishment. Still, the achievement shows that with steady funding and community trust, even one of the hardest environments for malaria control can be cleared of the disease.