Health & Wellness
Cape Verde Becomes Third African Country To Eliminate Malaria
Cape Verde has become the third African nation to be declared malaria free, even as the disease continues to kill hundreds of thousands of people on the continent, the World Health Organization said Friday.
The Atlantic archipelago of about 500,000 inhabitants follows Mauritius in 1973 and Algeria in 2019.
Worldwide some 43 countries have been certified as malaria-free by the WHO, which requires showing that the domestic chain of transmission has been broken for at least three consecutive years.
“I salute the government and people of Cabo Verde for their unwavering commitment and resilience in their journey to eliminating malaria,” said WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, using the country’s local name.
“WHO’s certification of Cabo Verde being malaria-free is testament to the power of strategic public health planning, collaboration, and sustained effort to protect and promote health.”
The WHO estimates that malaria killed 608,000 people worldwide and infected 250 million in 2022.
The disease is particularly present in Africa, which in 2021 accounted for 95 percent of deaths and 94 percent of contaminations. Children under five represented 80 percent of the deaths in Africa, the WHO said.
“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.
‘Inspiring Example’
“The attainment of this milestone by Cabo Verde is an inspiring example for other nations to follow.”
Malaria is transmitted to humans through bites of infected female mosquitoes and is most present in the tropics.
Cases can be limited to flu-like headaches and fevers, or depending on the variety, can lead to death within 24 hours.
Anti-malaria campaigns have largely focused on prevention through mosquito nets and preventative medicines, as well as eradication campaigns using insecticides.
However, since 2021 the WHO has recommended two different vaccines.
The WHO stressed the advantages for Cape Verde of freeing itself from the disease.
The certification “has the potential to attract more visitors and boost socio-economic activities in a country where tourism accounts for approximately 25 percent of GDP.”
Before the 1950s, all 10 islands in the country were affected by malaria and severe epidemics regularly broke out in the most densely populated areas, according to the WHO.
Thanks to insecticide spraying, the country eliminated malaria in 1967 and again in 1983, but lapses in the eradication campaign led to a return of the disease each time.
Since the last peak in the late 1980s, malaria in Cape Verde has been confined to two islands: Santiago and Boa Vista, which have now both been malaria-free since 2017.
Eliminating malaria became a national objective in 2007, leading to a strategic malaria plan from 2009 to 2013.
The plan focused on expanded diagnosis, early and effective treatment, and the reporting and investigating of all cases, the WHO said, adding that Cape Verde authorities kept up their vigilance during the Covid-19 pandemic.
To stem the tide of imported cases, diagnosis and treatment were provided free of charge to international travellers and migrants.
AFP
Health workers under the Joint Health Sector Unions and the Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations are protesting at the Unity Fountain in Abuja.
The protest is against the proposed health sector regulatory bill, which is before the National Assembly.
The protesting health workers are against the bill, claiming that if allowed to pass, it would subject every medical profession to the regulation of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.
They maintain that all health professions have their regulatory bodies, and that the new bill was seeking to make other health professionals second-class to medical doctors.
The protesters plan to also go to the National Assembly, where they hope to present their case to lawmakers.
Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors have issued a 10-day ultimatum to all relevant government agencies on Monday, warning that its members would embark on a nationwide strike if the demands were not met.
NARD disclosed this in a communiqué signed by its President, Dr. Tope Osundara; the General Secretary, Dr. Oluwasola Odunbaku; and Publicity and the Social Secretary, Omoha Amobi, issued after its Extraordinary National Executive Council meeting, which was held virtually on Sunday.
In July, NARD had issued a three-week ultimatum, but in the interest of industrial harmony, the NEC granted the National Officers’ Committee an additional three weeks to engage with all relevant stakeholders, after which it would reconvene to reassess the extent of implementation of its demands.
In Sunday’s meeting, the E-NEC condemned the failure of the Federal Government to fulfil its promises, noting with dismay that a substantial number of resident doctors remain unpaid for their 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund, and the refusal to pay the outstanding five months’ arrears arising from the 25 per cent/35 per cent Consolidated Medical Salary Structure review, as well as other longstanding salary arrears.
It also condemned the government’s failure to pay the arrears of the 2024 Accoutrement Allowance.
“The E-NEC expressed displeasure over the unjust downgrading of the membership certificates of the West African Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, as well as the persistent non-issuance of membership certificates by the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria.
“The E-NEC condemned in strong terms the failure of the Kaduna State Government to honour its commitments to members under ARD Kaduna and Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, despite earlier agreements and signed Memoranda of Understanding. The E-NEC condemned the failure of the Oyo State Government to address the challenges faced by members of ARD LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomosho, despite an ongoing indefinite strike action in the hospital,” it noted.
It, however, commended state governors who have demonstrated commitment to the welfare of doctors by paying the 2025 MRTF.
Meanwhile, the doctors said that if their demands are not met by September 10, 2025, they would embark on a nationwide strike.
E-NEC, however, demands the immediate payment of the outstanding 2025 MRTF to all eligible resident doctors by the Federal Government, as well as the settlement of the outstanding five months’ arrears of CONMESS, alongside other longstanding salary arrears.
The Council also demands, “The immediate payment of the arrears of the 2024 Accoutrement Allowance. The E-NEC demands the commencement of payment of specialist allowances to all doctors without further delay, given their indispensable role in delivering specialist medical care across the nation. The E-NEC demands that the MDCN immediately restore the recognition of the West African postgraduate membership certificates to their rightful status and calls on the NPMCN to commence without delay the issuance of membership certificates to all deserving candidates, in line with international best practices.
“The E-NEC demands the immediate implementation of the 2024 CONMESS and resolution of all outstanding welfare concerns in Kaduna State, noting that the indefinite strike by our members has already resumed and will continue until these demands are met. The E-NEC demands that the Governor of Oyo State, His Excellency Governor Seyi Makinde, immediately resolve the welfare concerns of resident doctors under the employment of the state government, particularly those at LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomosho.
“The E-NEC urges all State Governors to prioritise the welfare of doctors in their state-owned hospitals and training institutions, ensure the timely payment of MRTF to their resident doctors, and take proactive steps to curb emigration while maintaining industrial harmony.
“The E-NEC extends the ultimatum by a final 10 days to all relevant government agencies to meet these demands. Failure to do so within this period (expiring on Wednesday, 10th September 2025) will leave the NEC with no other option than to embark on a nationwide strike action.”
President Bola Tinubu has authorized a reduction in the cost of kidney dialysis at federal hospitals nationwide, lowering the fee from ₦50,000 to ₦12,000.
The Special Adviser to the President on Policy Information, Daniel Bwala, disclosed this on his X handle on Monday.
He noted that “with this intervention, the price of each dialysis session has been reduced from N50,000 to just N12,000, bringing relief to thousands of citizens battling kidney-related diseases.”
According to Bwala, the subsidy is already being implemented in major federal hospitals across the six geopolitical zones.
The hospitals include the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Ebute-Metta, Lagos; Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jabi, Abuja; University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan; and the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owerri.
Others are the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), Maiduguri; the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abeokuta; Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Lagos; Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Azare; University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Benin; and the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), Calabar.
He disclosed that more federal medical centres and teaching hospitals will be added before the end of the year to widen access nationwide.
Bwala recalled how Tinubu also approved free caesarean sections (C-sections) for pregnant women in federal hospitals, a bold step aimed at boosting maternal healthcare and reducing preventable maternal deaths.
“Together, these measures demonstrate the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda in action—ensuring that no Nigerian is denied healthcare because of cost,” he said.
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