By Blessing Chinagorom
It is a significant achievement in global health as Cabo Verde has been certified by the World Health Organization as a malaria -free while joining the ranks of 43 countries and 1 territory that has awarded this certification.
According to the statement released by the World Body on Friday stating that the Cabo Verde is the third country to be certified in the WHO African region, joining Mauritius and Algeria which were certified in 1973 and 2019 respectively.
It was said that Malaria burden is the highest on the African continent, which accounted for approximately 95% of global malaria cases and 96% of related deaths in 2021. Certification of malaria elimination will drive positive development on many fronts for Cabo Verde.
Systems and structures built for malaria elimination have strengthened the health system and will be used to fight other mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever.
Travellers from non-malaria endemic regions can now travel to the islands of Cabo Verde without fear of local malaria infections and the potential inconvenience of preventive treatment measures.
This has the potential to attract more visitors and boost socio-economic activities in a country where tourism accounts for approximately 25 per cent of GDP.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in his reaction saluted the government and people of Cabo Verde for their unwavering commitment and resilience in their journey to eliminating malaria.
He said, “WHO’s certification of Cabo Verde being malaria-free is testament to the power of strategic public health planning, collaboration, and sustained effort to protect and promote health.
Adding that “Cabo Verde’s success is the latest in the global fight against malaria, and gives us hope that with existing tools, as well as new ones including vaccines, we can dare to dream of a malaria-free world.”
The certification is granted when a country has shown, with rigorous, credible evidence, that the chain of indigenous malaria transmission by Anopheles mosquitoes has been interrupted nationwide for at least the past three consecutive years.
Certification of malaria elimination is the official recognition by WHO of a country’s malaria-free status. A country must also demonstrate the capacity to prevent the re-establishment of transmission.
The Cabo Verde´s Prime Minister, Ulisses Correia e Silva said, “The certification as a malaria-free country has a huge impact, and it’s taken a long time to get to this point.
According to him, “In terms of the country’s external image, this is very good, both for tourism and for everyone else. The challenge that Cabo Verde has overcome in the health system is being recognised”.
WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti said, “Cabo Verde’s achievement is a beacon of hope for the African Region and beyond.
She added, “It demonstrates that with strong political will, effective policies, community engagement and multisectoral collaboration, malaria elimination is an achievable goal
The Cabo Verde, an archipelago of 10 islands in the Central Atlantic Ocean, has faced significant malaria challenges. Before the 1950s, all islands were affected by malaria.
Severe epidemics were regular occurrences in the most densely populated areas until targeted interventions were implemented. Through the targeted use of insecticide spraying, the country eliminated malaria twice: in 1967 and 1983.
However, subsequent lapses in vector control led to a return of the disease. Since the last peak of malaria cases in the late 1980s, malaria in Cabo Verde has been confined to two islands: Santiago and Boa Vista, which have now both been malaria-free since 2017.
Cabo Verde’s journey to malaria elimination has been long and received a boost with the inclusion of this objective in its national health policy in 2007. A strategic malaria plan from 2009 to 2013 laid the groundwork for success, focusing on expanded diagnosis.
Early and effective treatment, and reporting and investigating all cases. To stem the tide of imported cases from mainland Africa, diagnosis and treatment were provided free of charge to international travellers and migrants.
In 2017 the country turned an outbreak into an opportunity. Cabo Verde identified problems and made improvements, leading to zero indigenous cases for three consecutive years.
During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the country safeguarded progress; efforts focused on improving the quality and sustainability of vector control and malaria diagnosis, strengthening malaria surveillance – especially at ports, airports, in the capital city and areas with a risk of malaria re-establishment.