Specific approaches/issues pertinent to malaria elimination

A malaria-free area is defined as an area in which there is no local malaria transmission and thus no indigenous cases occur. The only cases that may occur are those imported. At present, 13 countries of the Region are already free from malaria. In the remaining countries, malaria endemicity varies considerably. Target areas for elimination include residual foci of transmission, as well as larger more populous endemic areas where achieving a disease-free status is feasible.