Adilson De Pina is the Head of Malaria Elimination Program in Cabo Verde’s Ministry of Health, and an alumnus of IPPHL’s Cohort 5.
We sat to talk about Cabo Verde’s malaria elimination program, and discussed the measures being taken to sustain the country’s progress. Providing free access to malaria resources such as tests, prevention education, etc., are some of the steps that were taken and are still being taken to guarantee malaria elimination.
Adilson shares his vision for Cabo Verde to remain malaria-free and details some of the initiatives he is currently spearheading to achieve this goal. He also talked about the possibility of the disease being reintroduced due to globalization, as Cape Verde is growing into a hub for many visitors. Efforts to counter this possibility include receiving malaria prevention resources at their point of entry, emphasizing the importance of getting tested, and providing free malaria testing and treatment for everyone.
Besides working to ensure Cape Verde maintains their malaria-free status, Adilson is also working on an international partnership with other organizations to secure a grant proposal that reinforces their malaria surveillance activities. His team also hopes that this grant application will allow them to conduct scientific research to further explain why and how Cape Verde has zero malaria cases and learn how to sustain their efforts.
Adilson worked with national and international stakeholders such as the WHO, the Global Fund, National Malaria Program, the National Institute of Public Health, etc., to attain this feat. He talked about the ease of working together to balance each party’s interest because they all had the same goal in mind, to eliminate malaria in Cape Verde. One difficulty he mentioned was the difference in tools and resources between international stakeholders and national stakeholders. They overcame this by adapting their data and results to the levels of their stakeholders to bridge the gap.
Adilson’s advice for people coming into the field of public health, especially young people, is for them to be patient and wait to seize their opportunity when it is presented. In the meantime, they should take advantage of the vast resources they have at their disposal which will enable them to contribute a lot more once they get into the field. He also talks about the importance of leaving a mark, trying to improve from day to day, having a clear head, and staying humble.