Huambo - Provincial health authorities visited several Christian churches in the municipality of Huambo on Sunday to define a “common front” capable of preventing possible cases of cholera, ANGOP learned.
These are 12 teams from the health sector, who traveled to Catholic, Evangelical Congregational in Angola (IECA), United Methodist, Tocoist and other existing churches to draw up a community intervention plan.
The initiative also aimed to keep the population alert about possible cases of cholera in communities, both urban and rural.
On the occasion, the health director of the municipality of Huambo, Miguel Balaca, said that the health authorities intend to increasingly involve the church in preventing the disease, with the expectation of raising awareness of more than two thousand citizens.
With these actions, he added, the aim is to include churches in preventive programs against cholera, so that the majority of the population is more involved in this process, taking into account that the government is boosting the Lobito Corridor for economic development.
He explained that the Lobito Corridor connects Angola, especially the provinces of Benguela, Huambo, Bié and Moxico, with African countries devastated by the cholera outbreak, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia.
He stated that the next step will be to maintain contacts with traditional authorities, the student community and peasants.
In turn, pastor Adelino Timóteo Mateus, from the Evangelical Congregational Church in Angola (IECA), praised the efforts of health authorities in preventing cholera and promised to involve the faithful in multiplying primary care to stop the spread of the disease.
Catechist Hilário Canganjo, from the Catholic Church, promised to disseminate preventive methods against cholera, after learning fundamental primary care and basic techniques for treating the disease, in case people are infected.
Maria da Conceição, a laywoman of the Catholic Church, said that the faithful are now more mobilized and will help prevent possible cases of cholera, by promoting basic sanitation programs in communities, in addition to constant hand hygiene.
In the province of Huambo, the last cases of cholera occurred in 2014, with a record of 134 cases, nine deaths and a lethality rate set at around seven percent, affecting the neighborhoods of Benfica, Macolocolo, São Pedro, Rua do Comércio and Canhe, on the outskirts of the city of Huambo.
The health system in the municipality of Huambo is made up of 65 health units, all prepared to deal with possible cases of cholera. LT/JSV/ALH/DOJ
