Agrarian projects help fighting disease - deputy minister

Luanda, Luanda - The vice minister of Health, Evelize Fretas, said Friday in Luanda that the major agricultural development projects and poverty fighting, coupled with drop in maternal and infant mortality rate as well as the revitalisation of health services at the municipal level, enable the creation of a foundation of support to combat various diseases. The deputy minister was speaking during the Methodological Meeting on Combat the Antivectorial in Angola, having stressed that the fighting against malaria fits into this context as a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the country. According to her, the progresses associated with the declining of this disease require ongoing monitoring and regular assessment of the evolution of the coverage of technical components. The official noted that this will ensure the gains and its progress towards its elimination as a public health problem by 2021. She also acknowledges the role played by national and international partners considering it crucial for the confirmed progress by the inquiry of multiple indicators held  in 2011. The deputy minister also noted that in relation to the rate recorded in 2006, the prevalence of malaria in children under five years declined from 21 percent to 13 percent in 2010, corresponding to 38 percent. While the maternal-infant-juvenile mortality fell from 118 per thousand in 2006 to 91 per thousand in 2011, a decrease of 23 percent. The infant mortality rate dropped to 67 per thousand in 2006 to 50 per thousand in 2011 a reduction of 25 percent. According to Evelize Fretas, despite these advances in 2001, the rate of laboratory-confirmed cases was 67 percent, of which only 45 were positive.