The World Health Organization (WHO) today acknowledged the Republic of the Marshall Islands in eliminating lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem.
The country is the latest to join six others in WHO's Western Pacific Region – Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Niue, the Republic of Korea and Vanuatu – already validated for eliminating the disease.
In 2016, WHO validated the Maldives and Sri Lanka – both from the South East-Asia Region – for having achieved elimination.
The success in the Marshall Islands comes as another needed example that elimination as a public health problem can be achieved – an important message for the 66 countries still working towards this goal.