WHO declares Cape Verde free of malaria
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[January 12, 2024]
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) has
declared Cape Verde free of malaria, hailing it as a significant
milestone in the fight against the disease.
Cape Verde, an archipelago of 10 islands in the central Atlantic Ocean,
has faced severe epidemics in densely populated areas before it
implemented targeted interventions.
"(It) gives us hope that with existing tools, as well as new ones
including vaccines, we can dare to dream of a malaria-free world," WHO
Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.
The WHO said that in the heavily affected African region, Cape Verde had
become the third country after Mauritius and Algeria to eliminate the
mosquito-borne disease.
It joins the ranks of 43 countries and one territory certified by the
WHO.
"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," the statement said.
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![](../images/011224PIX/health56.jpg)
The World Health Organisation (WHO) logo is seen near its
headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, February 2, 2023. REUTERS/Denis
Balibouse/ File photo
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2024/Jan/12/images/ads/current/peasley_lda_051513.png) The WHO certification is granted
when a country has demonstrated no locally transmitted cases of
malaria in at least the last three years.
(Reporting by Anait Miridzhanian; Editing by Alex Richardson)
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