Cape Verde reaches malaria-free milestone

A sub-Saharan African nation has been declared malaria-free for the first time in 50 years.

Cape Verde was given the status by the World Health Organization (WHO) as it has not reported a single case of local transmission in three years.

Experts have described this as a major achievement.

Malaria is a huge killer on the continent. In 2022, 580,000 people in Africa died from the disease, amounting to 95% of fatalities worldwide.

The disease is caused by a complex parasite which is spread by mosquito bites.

Vaccines are now being used in some places but monitoring the disease and avoiding mosquito bites are the most effective ways to prevent malaria.