After 6 years of being malaria free, Belize has confirmed 4 cases in the west. It's a major cause for concern, since two years ago, the country received its malaria-free certification.
The initial case was detected on January 17th and the following cases on March 11th and April 5th. And though that first case was 3 months ago - no one said anything until 7news raised it in a press briefing yesterday.
So what does this mean for Belize's certification? Courtney Menzies took a look into it. Here is that story.
Prior to 2025, Belize had not reported a single case of malaria since 2018. That led to a certification by WHO in 2023, which was celebrated by the Ministry of Health and Wellness. Belize was once of only 42 countries worldwide who had achieved such status.
Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health and Wellness
"Our biggest success is the fact that we are now malaria free. For our country, it's a great achievement and I must thank our people who have made this possible."
Kim Bautista, Chief of Operations, Vector Control program
"I believe that what we are seeing currently is a testament to the arduous work, the commitment, and also the resilience of our people."
But after 6 years, today the ministry confirmed that four cases have been detected in Santa Elena Town and Cristo Rey Village in the Cayo District. Three of these cases are attributed to local transmission, and one is classified as imported from Peten, Guatemala.
However, according to the Director of Public Health and Wellness, Belize still retains its certification.
Dr. Melissa Diaz Musa, Director - Public Health and Wellness
"And just to advise you that when we, as, ministry state that we have eliminated or we have received certification of elimination, many times, it doesn't mean that there's zero cases, but you have fallen below a certain threshold. And we also W.H.O. looks at consecutive years of how the country has responded before they can determine whether that certification has been removed or whether we remain in certification. So it's not a hard and fast one off case and your certification has been removed."
And to make sure Belize remains as certified malaria free the Vector Control Program has now implemented several measures, including providing the patients with medical treatment, enhancing surveillance along the Western border, and testing individuals who have had a fever within the past 30 days.
They are also encouraging the public to use insect repellent when traveling to neighboring countries, and to use bed nets as well as eliminating standing water around the home.
Malaria is characterized by fever, chills, headache, and fatigue and is caused by parasites that are transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. Those who contract the disease then experience episodes of fever with chills and sweating from 48 to 72 hours.
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