The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday officially certified Cape Verge as a malaria-free country in a significant achievement for global health. This is a substantial victory especially given that the mosquito-borne disease continues to kill hundreds of thousands of people on the continent, said the WHO. Cape Verde is the third country in the WHO African region to attain this status, following Mauritius and Algeria, certified in 1973 and 2019, respectively. Globally, only 43 nations have been certified as Malaria-free by the WHO. This feat has therefore placed Cape Verde among the elite group that has received such certification from the WHO. For this certification, a country has to prove that the domestic chain of transmission has been broken for at least three consecutive years.
Acknowledging the achievement and commending the commitment and resilience of the government and people of Cape Verde, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: "I salute the government and people of Cape Verde for their unwavering commitment and resilience in their journey to eliminating malaria."
"WHO's certification of Cape Verde being malaria-free is a testament to the power of strategic public health planning, collaboration, and sustained effort to protect and promote health."
"Cape Verde's achievement is a beacon of hope for the African Region and beyond. It demonstrates that with strong political will, effective policies, community engagement, and multi-sectoral collaboration, malaria elimination is an achievable goal," said WHO Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti.
The certification of malaria elimination is expected to have wide-ranging positive effects on Cape Verde’s development.
The structures and systems established for malaria elimination are expected to fortify the health system, aiding in combating other mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever.
Furthermore, Cape Verde’s status as a malaria-free destination will attract more visitors, potentially boosting socio-economic activities in a country where tourism constitutes approximately 25% of GDP.
