A third African country has been certified as malaria-free, giving impetus to the rest of the continent.
The continent has been working towards eliminating malaria by 2030, as articulated in the continental development Agenda 2063.
Experts say the continent is off-track to meet this goal, but the progress by some countries is proof of what can be achieved.
On Friday, the World Health Organization certified Cape Verde, the group of islands in West Africa off the coast of Senegal, as a malaria-free.
With this announcement, Cape Verde joins the ranks of 43 countries and one territory that WHO has awarded this certification.
"Cape 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 per cent of global malaria cases and 96 per cent of related deaths in 2021," WHO said in a statement.
It said systems and structures built for malaria elimination have strengthened the health system and will be used to fight other mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever.
“WHO’s certification of Cape Verde being malaria-free is a testament to the power of strategic public health planning, collaboration and sustained efforts to protect and promote health. Cape Verde's success is the latest in the global fight against malaria, and 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 Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
The certification is granted when a country has proved 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.
“Cape 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 multisectoral collaboration, malaria elimination is an achievable goal,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa.
The country’s journey to malaria elimination has been long and received a boost with the inclusion of this objective in its national health policy in 2007.
A strategic malaria plan from 2009 to 2013 laid the groundwork for success, focusing on expanded diagnosis, early and effective treatment, and the reporting and investigating all cases. To stem the tide of imported cases from mainland Africa, diagnosis and treatment were provided free of charge to international travellers and migrants.
Kenya is also making progress toward the global goal of eliminating malaria by 2030.
The prevalence of malaria in Kenya varies, with the lake endemic zone having the highest prevalence (27 per cent), followed by the Coast endemic zone (eight per cent) and the highland epidemic zone (three per cent) with semi-arid, seasonal and low risk areas reporting less than one per cent, according to the Kenya Malaria Behaviour Survey 2022.
The survey indicates the country should address not only the medical aspects but also the social and behavioural factors that contribute to the spread of malaria.
The report says Kenya has reduced the prevalence of malaria by over 50 per cent in the last decade, and the number of new cases has significantly decreased.