The World Health Organization on Friday declared Cape Verde also known as Cabo Verde free of malaria, making it the third country in the African region to have achieved the status.
Cabo Verde joins Mauritius (in 1973) and Algeria (in 2009) in achieving the certification.
“Cabo Verde’s achievement is a beacon of hope for the African Region and beyond. It demonstrates that with strong political will, effective policies, community engagement and multi-sectoral collaboration, malaria elimination is an achievable goal,” said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
Between 2009 and 2013, authorities followed through a strategic malaria plan on the island chain of around 500,000 people, focusing on expanded diagnosis, early and effective treatment, as well as reporting and investigating all cases.
The WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus lauded the country, saying it was a “testament to the power of strategic public health planning, collaboration, and sustained effort to protect and promote health.”
“This [certification] has the potential to attract more visitors and boost socio-economic activities in a country where tourism accounts for approximately 25% of GDP,” a WHO statement said.
Cabo Verde joins the ranks of 43 countries and 1 territory that WHO has awarded this certification, the statement said.
The WHO certification is granted when a country has demonstrated no locally transmitted cases of malaria in at least the last three years.
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