In a statement, the WHO said the Pandemic Fund has 500 million dollars available and Angola is “strategically positioned” to capture resources that will “transform the national public health system”, with a focus on prevention, early detection and effective response to health emergencies.
According to the WHO, this week the main activities of the national proposal for the Pandemic Fund were defined, a global initiative that aims to strengthen the capacity to respond to outbreaks and health emergencies in low- and middle-income countries.
The WHO representative in Angola, Indrajit Hazarika, quoted in the statement, said he “firmly” believes that Angola has an excellent opportunity to obtain financing in this round, to significantly strengthen its capacity to respond to health emergencies.
The plan focuses on three priority areas: early warning systems and disease surveillance, human and animal laboratory capacities, and strengthening human and community resources, in both rural and urban contexts.
According to the WHO, in the field of surveillance and early warning, Angola is committed to strengthening community and institutional capacity, through the training of community agents and rapid response teams, the implementation of digital health information systems and the creation of event-based surveillance mechanisms, focusing on human and zoonotic diseases with epidemic potential.
Regarding the laboratory component, the proposal foresees the reinforcement of diagnostic and surveillance capacities, including the training of technicians, the strengthening of antimicrobial resistance surveillance, the development of quality control programs and others, the statement adds.
Angola has been facing a cholera epidemic since January 7 that has already killed 586 people and has recorded a cumulative of 18,420 cases reported in 17 of the country's 21 provinces, according to the epidemiological bulletin for the last 24 hours.
