Malaria elimination certification process

Steps in certification of malaria elimination

1. The country, after meeting the above-mentioned criteria, submits an official request for certification to the WHO Director-General through the WHO regional office.
2. The country formulates a plan of action and timeline for the certification process with WHO. This normally takes place during an initial WHO assessment mission.
3. The country finalizes the required documentation and national elimination report. The latter should be submitted to WHO.
   
4. The Malaria Elimination Certification Panel (MECP) reviews the national elimination report. 
   
5. An evaluation team, established by WHO, conducts field visits to verify findings in the national elimination report and develops an evaluation report.
   
6. The MECP reviews the evaluation report and submits a summary to the Malaria Policy Advisory Group (MPAG) with a recommendation to certify malaria elimination or to postpone certification.
   
7. The MPAG makes a final recommendation on certifying malaria-free status and submits the recommendation to the WHO Director-General.
   
8. The WHO Director-General makes the final decision and officially informs the national government of the national certification.
   
9. When granted, WHO publishes the certification in the Weekly Epidemiological Record. The country is listed in the WHO official register of areas where malaria elimination has been achieved.
   
10. The country continues its efforts to prevent the re-establishment of malaria transmission and reports annually to WHO in order to maintain its malaria free status.