Science & Health
Angola’s Health Minister Luís Gomes Sambo announced on Tuesday that about 2,000 more people will be joining the health sector in the near future to better serve the population. The increase cannot come soon enough -- the country is suffering its worst outbreak of yellow fever in three decades, with over 1,100 diagnosed since December and at least 178 dead. The mosquito-borne disease has already spread to 10 out of the country’s 18 provinces, and neighboring countries are on high alert.
There is no treatment for yellow fever, but there is a vaccine. Accordingly, the government is aiming to vaccinate the 6.5 million residents of the capital Luanda, where the epidemic began. To date, some 5.7 million people in Luanda have been vaccinated, but the World Health Organization’s emergency stockpile of the vaccine has now been exhausted.
"It's possible we could run out of vaccine," said Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccine manufacturers are doing their part to increase vaccine production but the process takes some time, he added. For the time being, shipments designated for routine vaccination in Angola are being redirected to help control the outbreak.
The previous health minister, José Van-Dúnem, said in February that due to the initial shortage of vaccines, priority should be given to children and to those who have never been vaccinated. But he insisted that eventually the entire population (approximately 26 million) must be vaccinated, and that there were enough vaccines. “For example, Luanda has 6 million doses and the entire country has 24 million. If an institution is facing shortages, it can request the supplementary reinforcements,” he noted.
That's not the only challenge however. Oil-dependent Angola has been slammed by low crude prices, and the resulting severe budget cuts even extended to basic garbage disposal services. The piles of trash on the streets have directly contributed to surges in diarrhea and cholera, and they have increased mosquito breeding grounds, setting the stage for yellow fever and malaria outbreaks. Minister Sambo recently estimated 500,000 people in Luanda are infected with the malaria parasite. He cited a study conducted in the capital that showed a mosquito larvae density rate of about 30-40%, which is far above the acceptable 5% and shows the risk of a malaria epidemic is not exaggerated.
Besides vaccination, the Luanda Provincial Government is carrying out an awareness campaign focusing on preventive measures, like covering water containers and putting used oil in marshes to kill off mosquitoes. But just as importantly, the trash needs to go, even if it makes the government run a deficit.
And with the frequency of international travel, even countries distant from an outbreak need to monitor it closely and remain vigilant in safeguards.
For related coverage, see Blouin News’ The Zika virus, explained, and last year’s Blouin Creative Leadership Summit panel Global Health.
