The president of the Angolan Network of AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Service Organizations (ANASO), António Coelho, speaking after a meeting with Vice President Esperança da Costa, said that the country continues to have an HIV/AIDS prevalence rate of 2 percent.
António Coelho, quoted by Agência Angola Press, stated that the country currently has approximately 350,000 people living with the disease, out of the country's current population of 35 million.
The ANASO official also stated that the country records, on average, 28,000 new infections per year and approximately 13,000 deaths associated with the disease, detailing that approximately 32,000 children and 36,000 young people live with the disease.
Coelho also expressed concern about the limited international funding available to combat the disease, stating that the situation "could worsen the situation and reduce the quality and availability of services provided to communities," particularly access to antiretrovirals, tests, reagents, and condoms.
In this meeting with the Vice President, the NGO leader noted, ANASO reaffirmed its willingness to support the Angolan government in coordinating the actions of the National Commission for the Fight against AIDS and Major Endemic Diseases, as well as in community strengthening.
