The cholera outbreak, which broke out in January, is affecting 17 of the country's 21 provinces.
The INEM Emergency Medical Team (EMT) was sent in response to an international appeal made on 9 April by the World Health Organization (WHO), INEM explained in a statement.
At the same time, the WHO asked the Portuguese team “to deploy an EMT Coordination Team (EMTCC) to, under the auspices of the WHO and representing Portugal, reinforce the Angolan authorities' response in managing this health crisis”.
The EMT sent by INEM arrived in Angola last Thursday, 17 April, and includes a team of three professionals in the areas of EMT coordination, water purification and sanitation, and coordination support, to which another doctor and a nurse joined on Monday.
The Portuguese team has already held several meetings in the country, and is working closely with the Angolan Ministry of Health, the WHO Office, the Camões Institute and other organizations.
“These sessions aim to provide support in assessing needs, defining priorities and planning concrete actions to control the outbreak,” the statement details.
The Portuguese team will be based in Benguela, the region currently most critical, accompanied by the Minister of Health, Sílvia Lutucuta.
“The mission is expected to last approximately two to three weeks, with the main objective of strengthening the Angolan Government’s response capacity in combating the cholera outbreak,” it concludes.
According to the latest data released by the Ministry of Health, the country has recorded 500 deaths and 13,818 cases of cholera since the beginning of the outbreak.
