Cape Verde and Mauritius are two of four countries (the others are Sri Lanka and Turkmenistan) documented in a new series of case studies on malaria elimination by The Global Health Group at the University of California, San Francisco  (UCSF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Malaria Programme.

Having worked in collaboration with ministries of health in affected countries, UCSF and WHO  highlight new evidence about what works — and what does not — for reaching and sustaining zero malaria transmission.

Cape Verde, an African archipelago, historically faced a serious burden of malaria but ended local malaria transmission in 1968. Following this success, malaria programme operations were reduced, leaving Cape Verde vulnerable to a malaria outbreak that struck the island from 1977 to 1979. With the support of WHO and other partners and  improved surveillance, as well as diagnosis and treatment of cases, Cape  Verde has steadily  reduced its burden and today is working to eliminate the final cases of malaria  by 2020.

Mauritius ended local transmission in 1969; however, natural disasters and migration spurred malaria outbreaks between 1975 and 1981 and malaria was reintroduced.  With the support of WHO and other development partners, Mauritius subsequently executed a second elimination campaign which drove local malaria cases to zero again by 1998. The country is once again malaria-free.