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Cape Verde, an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, on Jan. 12 became the third country in Africa to officially eliminate malaria. The disease continues to kill hundreds of thousands of people on the continent every year.
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Dr. WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (right) presents the malaria eradication patent to Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva on January 12. Photo: AFP/VNA/CVN
Cape Verde, an island nation of around 500,000 people, is the first country in sub-Saharan Africa in 50 years and Mauritius in 1973 to be recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a country with complete malaria eradication. The WHO speaks of “significant successes in global health” in a press release.
More than 40 states have received the same certification, which is awarded when a country demonstrates that the chain of transmission of household mosquitoes has been broken nationwide for at least three consecutive years.
In Africa, alongside Mauritius and Cape Verde, Algeria was declared malaria-free in 2019.
A deadly disease
However, according to the WHO website, malaria continues to kill an estimated 608,000 people in 2022, with nearly 250 million infections worldwide. The fifty African countries bear a disproportionate share of the burden, with 580,000 deaths, or 95% of the global total, and 94% of contamination. Children under five account for 80% of deaths in Africa.
A female Anopheles funestus mosquito. This species is known to be a vector of the malaria parasite. Photo: AFP/VNA/CVN
“Cape Verde’s success is a beacon of hope for the African region and beyond. “It shows that eliminating malaria is an achievable goal with strong political will, effective policies, community commitment and cross-sector collaboration,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, quoted by the organization.
This success, according to others, “gives us hope that thanks to existing or new tools, especially vaccines, we can begin to dream of a world without malaria,” adds WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, added. He presented the certification to Cape Verde Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva on January 12 in the capital Praia.
Malaria is transmitted to humans primarily through the bites of certain species of infected female mosquitoes and occurs primarily in the tropics. It can also be transmitted through blood transfusions and contaminated needles. It can be mild, causing symptoms such as fever and headache, but it can also cause death within 24 hours if the P. falciparum parasite occurs, which is most common in Africa.
Tourist bonanza
The fight against malaria has long consisted mainly of prevention through the use of mosquito nets or the use of preventative medications and the use of insecticides. However, the WHO writes on its website that it has recommended two vaccinations since 2021.
The Cape Verdean Prime Minister highlighted the expected benefits of malaria eradication. “For a country whose main industry is tourism, eradicating malaria means removing a restriction on mobility and also strengthening perceptions of health security, and we now hope for better results in tourism,” he said.
Tourism accounts for about 25% of Cape Verde’s GDP.
Epidemics
The WHO recalls that before the 1950s, the archipelago regularly experienced serious epidemics and all the islands were affected. The country managed to eradicate the disease by spraying insecticides in 1967 and 1983, but subsequent mistakes caused the disease to return. Since the last peak in the late 1980s, malaria has only existed on two islands, Santiago and Boa Vista, according to the WHO.
Malaria elimination became a national health goal in Cape Verde in 2007 and led to a strategic plan between 2009 and 2013, she said. WHO calls for more comprehensive diagnosis, earlier treatment and free care for foreigners. Cape Verde has remained vigilant despite the COVID-19 pandemic, she welcomes.
AFP/VNA/CVN
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