Angola News

WHO Regional Director for Africa urges immense effort to reduce the number of people infected with HIV in the African Region.Luanda, 2 December 2005 -- The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Gomes Sambo stated in Luanda, last Friday that countries of the African Region can significantly reduce the number of people infected with HIV. However, he said that would require immense effort in terms of resources and organization, for prevention and treatment.

"These problems should be addressed promptly so that more lives can be saved", he added.

Luanda, 26 July 2005 -- World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa Dr. Luís Gomes Sambo will visit his native country of Angola from July 27-29, 2005, accompanied by Special Assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services for International Affairs Dr. William Steiger. The purpose of this visit is to bolster international support for the reconstruction of the Angolan health system, continue the fight against the most dangerous communicable diseases and conduct efficient epidemiological surveillance nationally.

Luanda, 28th June 2005 -- The Ministry of Health announced Tuesday in Luanda that one polio case has been detected in a one year old child girl living in Kikolo commune, in Cacuaco municipality, in the Luanda Province.

According to the Angolan Vice Minister for public health, Dr. José Van-Dunnem, this case was confirmed on 23th June 2005 by the laboratory of Johannesburg, South Africa, that had tested the case as positive for poliovirus.

The WHO Regional Office for Africa has been leading the international field team supporting national and local experts in Angola to control the largest ever recorded outbreak of Marburg haemorrhagic fever. Marburg fever is a rare but fatal disease caused by a virus from the same family as the Ebola virus. While the outbreak appears to be declining, potential cases continue to be investigated and vigilance remains high.

These photo essays give a glimpse into the challenges and successes in controlling this outbreak.

21 June 2002 -- Luanda, Angola - 21 June 2002: Angola's first, nation-wide round of synchronised, cross-border Polio National Immunisation Days (NIDs) for 2002 will take place from 21-23 June. Targeting over 3 million children under 5 years of age, the Polio NIDs are led by the Angolan Ministry of Health with the full involvement of provincial governments and municipal administrations. Angola remains one of only 10 countries in the world in which the wild polio-virus is still present, while today, Europe is being declared polio-free.