Why in News ? 

Georgia has been certified malaria-free by the WHO, joining 45 countries and one territory in achieving this milestone. This marks a major success in global efforts toward malaria elimination after decades of dedicated interventions. 

 Malaria Elimination Certification by WHO 

• Certification Process: WHO certifies a country as malaria-free when there is no indigenous malaria transmission for at least 3 consecutive years. The country must have an effective surveillance system to prevent re-establishment of transmission. 
• Global Status: 43 countries and 1 territory have received the ‘malaria-free’ certification. In the Southeast Asian region, Maldives (2015) and Sri Lanka (2016) are certified malaria-free. India is not certified malaria-free yet. 

What is Malaria? 

• Cause: Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by Plasmodium parasites. 
• Key Parasites: P. falciparum and P. vivax pose the highest risk to humans. 
• Spread: Malaria is transmitted by bites from infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. 
• Lifecycle: Infected mosquitoes bite humans, introducing parasites that travel to the liver, mature, and infect red blood cells. 
• Regions Affected: Predominantly found in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia and South America. 
• Symptoms: Fever, chills, headache, muscle pain and fatigue. Malaria is both preventable and treatable.