The position of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), through its shadow government, comes in the wake of the cholera outbreak that began in the province of Luanda, now reaching the provinces of Icolo and Bengo and Bengo, with a result, since December 31, 18 deaths, in a total of 224 cases, with 32 confirmed.
The situation, according to the note, is being monitored "with great concern", stressing that the official data reflects the rapid progress of the outbreak and spread of the disease.
"The UNITA shadow government deeply regrets the fact that, despite being just under five years away from the end of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to which Angola is a signatory, there are still cases of cholera in the country, a disease considered to be a consequence of poor sanitation and extreme poverty, giving signs that the country is moving in the opposite direction in relation to international commitments", the note highlights.
UNITA highlights that the country recorded the last cholera outbreak eight years ago, which affected the provinces of Cabinda, Luanda and Zaire, with a total of 252 cases and 11 deaths, between 2016 and 2017, "a fact that reflects a sharp decline in the quality of life of families in recent years and the consequent destructuring of the social fabric at the community level, an aspect that runs counter to the SDGs."
The UNITA shadow government asks the affected families to strictly observe the biosafety measures recommended by the health authorities.
"UNITA's shadow government understands that the recurring cholera outbreaks are the direct consequence of the blatant inversion of health priorities, with greater investments in the tertiary health network to the detriment of primary health care being notable," the document highlights, noting that the outbreak coincides with a drop in water supply in these affected areas that has lasted more than three months.
For UNITA, "the country urgently needs a new paradigm in view of the precarious conditions in which the vast majority of the population living in suburban areas lives", urging the Government to urgently reformulate a plan that guarantees the distribution of drinking water to the population, "because water is the most abundant natural resource in Angola".
"It is urgent that greater investments be made in sanitation in large urban centers and beyond," appealed UNITA, also citing other measures, such as strengthening the fight against nutritional deficiencies "which currently devastates the vast majority of the population living in risk areas."