In a follow-up on the malaria outbreak in Cape Verde, or Cabo Verde, the Ministry of Health and Social Security says a total of 116 autochthonous, or locally acquired cases have been registered in the capital city of Praia since the beginning of the year, according to a Portal de Angola report (computer translated). Fortunately, most cases have been mild and no deaths have been reported.
Image/CDC
The outbreak is concerning for health officials as the city has not seen more than 30 cases annually in the past decade.
Sources warned that this year, malaria cases began to be recorded before the rainy season on the island of Santiago and, in particular, in the municipality of Praia, the main population center of the Cape Verdean archipelago.
According to the director of the National Malaria Control Program (PNLP), António Moreira, this is a situation that was never recorded before in the city of Praia, where the maximum number was 95 cases in all of 2001, followed by 48 in 2006.
This outbreak comes after Cape Verde was honored by the Alliance of African Leaders Against Malaria (ALMA) with the 2017 Excellence Award in January this year in recognition of the results achieved in fighting the disease and a WHO prediction that Cape Verde will be able to eliminate regional transmission by 2020.
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