Cape Verde Declared Malaria-Free
Good news for the archipelago of Cape Verde. The island nation in the Atlantic has been declared malaria-free by the World Health Organization (WHO). According to the government, there have been no local transmissions for the past three years.
The island nation of Cape Verde off the Atlantic coast of Africa has successfully eliminated malaria. The World Health Organization (WHO) has certified the country as malaria-free. To receive this certification, the government had to demonstrate that there have been no local transmissions for at least three years and that there is a robust surveillance system in place to prevent the resurgence of malaria. Cape Verde has a population of approximately 600,000.
Following Mauritius in 1973 and Algeria in 2019, Cape Verde becomes the third country on the African continent to receive this certification. According to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, this achievement demonstrates that Cape Verde is protecting and promoting health through public planning and sustainable measures. The success proves that “we can dare to dream of a world without malaria by using existing and new tools, including vaccines.”
Popular Tourist Destination in the Atlantic
The certification also has economic implications. The archipelago of ten islands in the central Atlantic has become a popular tourist destination over the past 20 years. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism contributed approximately 25 percent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product.
Malaria’s Deleterious Impact on Young Children
The malaria parasite is transmitted by infected mosquitoes and can be life-threatening. According to the WHO, there were an estimated 249 million infections and over 600,000 deaths in approximately 85 countries worldwide in 2022, primarily in Africa. 80 percent of these deaths occur in children under the age of five.
According to UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, malaria is one of the leading causes of death among children under five. Approximately 500,000 boys and girls die from the infectious disease each year. The WHO has now approved the first malaria vaccines.
Prevention measures include the use of mosquito repellents and bed nets for sleeping areas. Breeding sites, such as stagnant water in containers and other small vessels, should be eliminated.