WHO has declared Cape Verde malaria-free after a long battle against malaria and 7 years without reported cases of the disease. In the fight against malaria, 43 countries and one territory have been certified as malaria-free by the World Health Organization (WHO). Cape Verde has now been certified and is thus the 44th country to be certified. The certification from the WHO is only given to countries that can prove that there has been no transmission of the malaria parasite in the last three years. At the same time, the countries must prove that they have the ability and capacity to combat any new spread of the malaria parasite. Cape Verde has had a long history of malaria. All ten islands that make up Cape Verde have had outbreaks of malaria and experienced several epidemics. The epidemics have particularly ravaged the populous parts of the country. But Cape Verde has had no cases of malaria since 2017. The country has also managed to eradicate malaria twice before, in 1967 and in 1983, but due to a lack of insecticide the disease returned. Although there were cases of the disease in Cape Verde until 2017, it has been limited to two of the 10 islands. Santiago and Boa Vista were the only islands that had cases of the disease from the 1980s to 2017. Good news for many Before Cape Verde was declared malaria-free, only two countries on the African continent were certified by the WHO. Mauritius was certified malaria-free in 1973 and Algeria in 2019. The certification of a new African country is a major milestone in the fight against malaria. Most cases of malaria occur on the African continent, and in 2022, 94 percent of cases and 95 percent of deaths were associated with malaria here. The work to make African countries malaria-free is therefore important. WHO director Tedros Adhanom says that the certification of Cape Verde gives hope that the tools available will enable the dream of a malaria-free world. The fight against malaria in Cape Verde has several positive aspects. The healthcare system that has been built up can be useful in the fight against similar diseases. Cape Verde’s Prime Minister, Ulisses Correia e Silva, points out that it is also good for the impression people get of the country. It can attract more tourists, through the fact that it is safer for people from countries without malaria to visit the country. Being certified malaria-free can contribute to economic growth. Malaria in the world In the WHO’s report on malaria from 2022, the organization wrote that the mortality from malaria decreased from 2000 to 2019. After 2019, the corona pandemic has had an impact on mortality. Between 2019 and 2021, there were 63,000 deaths linked to a lack of healthcare for malaria, as a consequence of priorities during the pandemic. But the fight against malaria is moving forward, and the WHO has several recommendations on how to protect yourself from the malaria parasite. Two vaccines have been approved and recommended by the health organisation. Since October 2021, the WHO has recommended the use of the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine for children living in regions with moderate to high levels of malaria. Verdens Beste Nyheder wrote in January this year that the vaccine has reduced mortality among children by around 13 per cent. Children are the most vulnerable group, and that is why it is a big step forward that mortality among children falls. In 2023, the WHO recommended another safe and effective vaccine against malaria, R21/Matrix-M. We have not yet seen the effect of this vaccine, but the recommendation of a new vaccine gives hope. In the original case it said malaria virus, this has now been updated to what is correct: parasite.
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Cape Verde has been declared malaria-free – as the third African country in history
