World Health Organisation declares Paraguay free of Malaria

18 Jun 2018

On 11 June 2018 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Paraguay has eliminated malaria, becoming the the first country in the Americas to become malaria-free since Cuba in 1973.

Paraguay had been part of the WHO E-2020 initiative  , which supports countries that are close to elimination of malaria  Other Latin American countries close to elimination of malaria include Belize, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico and Suriname.

While malaria no longer presents a risk for travellers to Paraguay, other mosquito-borne infections are present so mosquito bite avoidance remains an important health precaution.