GENEVA: China was certified as malaria-free on Wednesday by the World Health Organization, following a 70-year effort to eradicate the mosquito-borne disease.

"We congratulate the people of China on ridding the country of malaria," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, adding: "China joins the growing number of countries that are showing the world that a malaria-free future is a viable goal."