According to a statement from the Ministry of Health, to which VerAngola had access, the strategy to combat the disease does not only include vaccinating the population, but also improving sanitation and the supply of drinking water.
"As part of the strategy to combat cholera, work is underway to improve basic sanitation and the supply of drinking water in the affected areas, in addition to the vaccination campaign," the note reads.
On the occasion, the head of the Health Ministry expressed concern about the "exponential increase in positive cases in the localities of Dande, Barra do Dande and Úcua, in the province of Bengo".
Sílvia Lutucuta also considered that the "close fight against cholera requires the involvement of all citizens not only in Bengo, but also in the provinces of Luanda, Malanje, Huambo, Icolo and Bengo, Huíla and Zaire, which already have reported cases".
During her working day in Bengo, the governor said that a coordination meeting was held with the provincial governor Maria Nelumba, with the aim of making some adjustments to reinforce the fight against the disease.
The note from the Ministry also clarifies that the vaccination campaign currently underway is aimed at "the areas most affected by the disease and the province of Bengo has 43 thousand doses of vaccines against cholera".
According to Sílvia Lutucuta, quoted by Angop, 948 thousand doses of the cholera vaccine were received by the country, out of the eight million available in the world stock, and the World Health Organization's recommendation is to immunize risk areas.
In turn, Maria Nelumba reported that Bengo is approximately 40 percent of the expected vaccination target, highlighting that the vaccination teams will be reinforced with personnel from the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) and final year students from the Instituto Médio de Saúde, focusing vaccination on the most affected areas and markets.
Quoted by Angop, she also stated that they are strengthening the position of oral rehydration centers so that citizens, even if far from the service centers, have the possibility of starting the rehydration process.
"With this we will gain time and prevent deaths, which is our fundamental and primary concern, which is to reduce the number of deaths and cases because the more cases there are in a community, the easier it will be for the disease to spread. Our strategy has to be in this direction," the provincial governor added.
According to a statement from the provincial government of Bengo, to which VerAngola had access, the first phase of the cholera vaccination campaign in Bengo began this Monday.
"The provincial governor of Bengo, Maria Antónia Nelumba, went to Bairro Lifune, comuna do Quicabo in the municipality of Dande, on the morning of this Monday, February 3, where she gave a lecture that marked the opening of the first phase of the Vaccination Campaign against Cholera in the Province of Bengo", reads the note.
In her speech, Maria Nelumba "warned about how lethal the disease is and provided guidance on how to prevent it from spreading", and at the end of the speech, the governor "administered the necessary doses to the residents, thus symbolizing the start of the campaign".
Speaking to the press, the minister also reported that the province "received from the Ministry of Health in the first phase, around 2600 doses of the cholera vaccine and that they are being distributed to the most affected areas, namely in the municipalities of Dande, Úcua, Panguila and in the locality of Vale do Paraíso".
In the last 24 hours, Bengo raised further concerns by registering more than 100 cases of cholera.
