Sri Lanka was certified Malaria free on 5 September 2016, to mark this key public health date a National Ceremony will be held on the 30th November.
Following an unusual but effective strategy of intensively targeting the parasite in addition to mosquitoes. The Sri Lankan approach used a focus on effective surveillance, community engagement and health education, as well as enhancing the ability of authorities to respond, and to mobilise popular support for the campaign.
By 2006, Sri Lanka was recording less than 1 000 cases of malaria per year, and since October 2012, indigenous cases were down to zero. For the past three-and-a-half years, no local transmission has been recorded.
The National Ceremony to Commemorate the Elimination of Malaria in Sri Lanka will be held at the Kingsbury Hotel on the 30th November.