Cape Verde has become the fourth African nation to eradicate malaria, with no recorded cases of the deadly disease since 2017.
The milestone, announced on Friday by the World Health Organisation (WHO), is being hailed by experts as a major achievement.
The island nation is the first country in sub-saharan Africa to eradicate malaria in 50 years. Mauritius has been malaria-free since 1973. The other African countries to have eradicated the disease are Morocco and Algeria.
Malaria is caused by a parasite which is then spread by mosquitoes. In 2022, it killed about 608,000 people worldwide, with 95% of these cases coming from within Africa.
Malaria could once be found on all nine of Cape Verde’s inhabited islands. However, since the 1980s, it has confined the outbreaks to just two of its islands, Santiago and Boa Vista.
Since then, the nation has fought the disease by strengthening its healthcare and increasing access to malaria treatment, and now neither island has registered a case since 2017.
“This success reflects the hard work and dedication of countless health professionals, collaborators, communities and international partners. It is a testimony to what can be achieved through collective commitment to improving public health,” Cape Verde’s Minister of Health Dr Filomena Gonçalves told the BBC.
In South Africa, the spread of malaria is mainly contained around the country’s borders.
Compiled by staff writer
Pictured above: A malaria awareness sign.
Image source: X