The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared Suriname malaria-free, making it the first country in the Amazon region to achieve this milestone after nearly seven decades of sustained public health interventions.
In a statement on Tuesday, WHO described the certification as a powerful example for other malaria-endemic nations striving for elimination.
Suriname, located in northern South America between French Guiana and Guyana, once battled widespread malaria in its dense forests and mining communities. The country eliminated the disease through community health workers, universal diagnostic access, and malaria screening at border crossings. Suriname recorded its last local case of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in 2018 and its final Plasmodium vivax case in 2021.
Malaria control began in the 1950s with DDT spraying along coastal areas and expanded inland despite challenges such as open-style housing. In 1974, control efforts were decentralised to Medische Zending, which trained local community health workers to diagnose and treat malaria early. Cases peaked in 2001 with over 15,000 reported, driven largely by gold mining activities.
However, expanded diagnostics, artemisinin-based treatments with primaquine, and widespread distribution of insecticide-treated nets from 2005 onwards reversed the trend. Suriname also targeted migrant miners by recruiting Malaria Service Deliverers from mining communities to provide free malaria services in hard-to-reach areas.
Suriname’s Minister of Health, Dr Amar Ramadhin, said eliminating malaria would bring wide-ranging benefits, including improved public health, economic growth, and enhanced tourism, while emphasising the need for continued vigilance to maintain its malaria-free status.
