The World Health Organization (WHO) has certified Cabo Verde as a malaria-free country, marking a significant achievement in global health.
Key points
- With this announcement, Cabo Verde joins the ranks of 43 countries and 1 territory that WHO has awarded this certification.
- Cabo Verde is the third country to be certified in the WHO African region, joining Mauritius and Algeria which were certified in 1973 and 2019 respectively.
- Malaria burden is the highest on the African continent, which accounted for approximately 95% of global malaria cases and 96% of related deaths in 2021.
Certification of malaria elimination
- Certification of malaria elimination will drive positive development on many fronts for Cabo Verde.
- Certification of malaria elimination is the official recognition by WHO of a country’s malaria-free status.
- The certification is granted when a country has shown – with rigorous, credible evidence – that the chain of indigenous malaria transmission by Anopheles mosquitoes has been interrupted nationwide for at least the past three consecutive years.
- A country must also demonstrate the capacity to prevent the re-establishment of transmission.
Cabo Verde
- Cabo Verde is an archipelago of 10 islands in the Central Atlantic Ocean. It has faced significant malaria challenges.
- The archipelago is volcanic in origin. Fogo Island has an active volcano; it is also the location of the highest peak.
