Africa-Press – Angola. The Angolan government will vaccinate more than two million people against cholera in five provinces of the country where active transmission of the disease has been recorded, which has ravaged Angola since January, resulting in hundreds of deaths.
The launch of the second round of the cholera vaccination campaign, promoted by the Angolan Ministry of Health, in partnership with the Global Vaccine Alliance (GAVI), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the European Union, will take place in the province of Lunda Norte.
According to a press release from the Ministry of Health, in addition to Lunda Norte, the vaccination campaign will take place in the provinces of Cabinda, Cuanza Sul, Huíla, Namibe and Zaire, with the selected municipalities having been defined as priorities, based on daily epidemiological analyses.
For the campaign, approximately 942 teams were mobilized, consisting of vaccinators, mobilizers, and supervisors, who will visit communities and set up fixed posts in specific areas, to reach all intended beneficiaries.
“This campaign covers everyone from one year of age and will be integrated into a broader response, including strengthened surveillance, access to safe water and sanitation, timely treatment of cases, as well as risk communication and community engagement activities,” the ministry said.
The vaccine to be used is Euvichol-S, an oral, single-dose vaccine, recently donated by GAVI, he adds.
“This vaccine is being made available through a global allocation process coordinated by the International Coordination Group (IGG), following negotiations with GAVI at the highest level, and is part of a joint effort to support countries with active outbreaks and a high risk of transmission,” he emphasizes.
Since January, cholera has caused 763 deaths in Angola, a total of 27,381 cases, with the numbers decreasing in recent times, going from dozens of deaths per day and hundreds of cases per day, to much lower numbers.
Data from the last 24 hours indicate a total of 23 new infections, with no deaths recorded.
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