WHO certifies Cabo Verde malaria-free; third African country to do so

Subject : Science and Tech

Section: Health

Context:

Cabo Verde has been certified as a malaria-free country by the World Health Organization (WHO), making it the third nation in the African region to achieve this status.

Details:

Cabo Verde alongside Mauritius (in 1973) and Algeria (in 2019), received certification as a Malaria-free country.
Africa bears the highest malaria burden globally, with approximately 95% of cases and 96% of related deaths in 2021.
The certification is granted after a country demonstrates the interruption of indigenous malaria transmission for at least three consecutive years and the capacity to prevent re-establishment.
Cabo Verde, facing significant malaria challenges in the past, eliminated the disease twice before experiencing a reemergence.
Since 2017, through targeted interventions and improvements, Cabo Verde has maintained zero indigenous cases on the islands of Santiago and Boa Vista.

About Malaria:

Caused by the Plasmodium parasite.
The parasite is spread to humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes. People who have malaria usually feel very sick with a high fever and shaking chills.
Once the parasites enter the human body, they travel to the liver — where some types can lie dormant for as long as a year.
When the parasites mature, they leave the liver and infect your red blood cells. This is when people typically develop malaria symptoms.
Disease-causing Microbes:
- 5 Plasmodium parasite species cause malaria in humans.
- falciparum and P. vivax pose the greatest threat.
- falciparum – deadliest malarial parasite and the most prevalent on the African continent. 95% of all cases of P. falciparum occur in the African region and are associated with severe disease and disease-associated mortality.
- P. vivax – geographically most widespread in tropical and subtropical regions. Dominant in most countries outside of sub-Saharan Africa
- Other 3 Plasmodium species infecting humans – P. malariae, P. ovale and P. knowlesi.

Cabo Verde:

Cabo Verde is an archipelago and island country of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about 4,033 square kilometres.
These islands lie between 600 and 850 kilometres (320 and 460 nautical miles) west of Cap-Vert, the westernmost point of continental Africa.
The Cape Verde islands form part of the Macaronesia ecoregion, along with the Azores, the Canary Islands, Madeira, and the Savage Isles.
Capital: Praia
Colonised by the Portuguese.

Source: DTE