Online Program

289777
Working together towards success in controlling malaria in huambo province, Angola


Sunday, November 3, 2013

Frederico Juliana, Huambo Provincial Health Directorate, Huambo, Angola
Jhony Juarez, MD, MPH, Jhpiego, Huambo, Angola
Amandio Natito, Huambo Provincial Health Directorate, Angola MInistry of Health, Huambo, Angola
Lelo Zola, Huambo Provincial Health Directorate, Angola Ministry of Health, Huambo, Angola
Malaria is the first cause of morbidity and mortality in Angola. Angola has 18 provinces and an estimated population around 17 million. There are three epidemiologic classes: hyper-endemic (Northern part of the country), stable meso-endemic area (Central) and unstable meso-endemic area (South).In the last ten years, the Ministry of Health, the National Malaria Control Program, and national and international organizations have made efforts to control it. In Huambo Province, where about 14% of the total Angolan population lives, the number of malaria cases decreased by 85% and the deaths decreased by 98% to just 31 deaths between 2008 and 2012 (see Table 1).Factors that have contributed to the reduction of malaria cases include: increase in number of health professionals, principally doctors, work with organized communities, health fairs (Uhayele Vimbo) for rural/ isolated populations, rapid malaria tests and microscopes, combined antimalarials, spraying, ITN distribution, improvement in diagnosis and treatment, equipment for spraying, anti-larva projects in all municipalities, communes and neighborhood, population-level health education campaigns, improvements in the health information system and rapid alert, earlier care-seeking for malaria symptoms. Table 1 Number of malaria cases and deaths, Huambo 2008-2012 Year 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Number of cases 620,300 530,620 480,053 382,762 87,852 Number of deaths 1,559 802 744 143 31

Learning Areas:

Provision of health care to the public

Learning Objectives:
Identify how Angolan partners worked together in an innovative way to improve malaria in Huambo Province. Describe malaria trends in Huambo Province, Angola.

Keyword(s): Communicable Disease, International Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the co principal author of this abstract since as a physician and Provincial Health Director of Huambo,Angola, I am interested in sytematize the tendencies of the malaria cases in the Province and would like to receive imputs on this issue.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.