Luanda – At least 400 million US dollars have been invested in Angola by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for the implementation of programs to combat malaria in the country since 2015, said Wednesday in Luanda the agency's administrator, Samantha Power.
Speaking at the end of a visit to the National Health Research Institute (INIS), the US official said these actions have reached around 20% of the country's population, emphasizing that during this period 45 million anti-malaria tests, 35 million rapid malaria tests and 19 million mosquito nets were made available.
Samantha Power informed that the preventive actions will reach the provinces of Moxico and Zaire, with training, medicines and mosquito nets, adding that she feels happy with the partnership with the Ministry of Health and that the agency will continue to develop significant joint actions against malaria in Angola.
The Secretary of State for Public Health, Carlos Pinto de Sousa, on his turn said that in 2023 the country recorded roughly 8 million cases of malaria and a 30% drop in the death rate from the disease.
Carlos de Sousa explained that these figures were due to the population's greater access to health services, measures to prevent the disease, the distribution of mosquito nets, training and information, among other measures.
The Angolan official emphasized that investments are still lower than necessary, but that the government is working to ensure that malaria is no longer a public health concern.
Richard Verma, US deputy secretary of state for management and resources, guaranteed continued commitment to the fight against this disease in Angola and revealed that his country will continue to invest in laboratories and research so that, through science, they can achieve the eradication of malaria in the country.
Samantha Power is the 19th administrator of USAID, the world's largest bilateral development agency, with a global team of more than 11,000 people in more than 100 countries.
SJ/OHA/MRA
