Speaking after the third ordinary session of the Commission to Fight HIV/AIDS and Major Endemic Diseases, which took place last Friday and was guided by the Vice-President of the Republic, Esperança da Costa, the holder of the Health portfolio informed that during this year, only nine cases of the disease were reported, while in the previous year, 52 cases were recorded.
Quoted in a government statement, to which VerAngola had access, the minister "warned of the worrying increase in cases of malaria, one of the main threats to public health" in the country.
According to the minister, 1,013,370 cases were registered this year, "an increase of 15 percent compared to the previous year, with the provinces of Luanda, Cuanza Sul and Huambo most affected".
Regarding HIV/Aids and tuberculosis, Sílvia Lutucuta said that the numbers remained "relatively stable compared" to last year, "although they are still high".
On the occasion, she also highlighted the "importance of a multisectoral approach to combat these diseases and the interdependence between social and environmental determinants and health", says the note.
In turn, the commission highlighted the fact that it is "urgent to mobilize more financial resources to intensify prevention and control actions".
"One of the highlights of the meeting was the approval of a proposal for new legislation to combat HIV/AIDS, with a focus on social inclusion and non-discrimination", says the note.
The Minister of Health explained that they presented a legal diploma, which aims to combat discrimination: "We presented a legal diploma in the form of a decree, the Proposed Law on the Comprehensive Response to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, which replaces the old HIV Law/ AIDS over 20 years old. This new legislation emphasizes social inclusion, the fight against discrimination and reflects technological and scientific advances", said Sílvia Lutucuta.
