WHO declares Cape Verde free of malaria

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared Cape Verde malaria free.

The West African archipelago of nine islands was officially certified by the international body during a live ceremony at the weekend, which was attended by WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Cape Verde Prime Minister, Ulisses Correia e Silva welcomed the milestone.”For a country in which tourism is its main economic activity, the elimination of malaria is the elimination of a constraint on mobility, the elimination of a perception and the reinforcement of sanitary confidence,” Silva said.

The historic milestone makes Cape Verde only the third country in the African region to achieve elimination status of the disease, following Mauritius and Algeria.

According to the WHO, Africa carries a disproportionately high share of the global malaria burden.

In 2022, the region was home to 94 per cent of malaria cases (233 million) and 95 per cent (580,000) of malaria deaths.