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Following the declaration of Ebola virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola is stepping up disease surveillance, prevention and preparedness measures especially in the country’s Lunda Norte province which borders the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
A multidisciplinary team with experts from the National Directorate of Public Health, the National Institute for Health Research, World Health Organization (WHO), and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), visited Tchissanda, Fortuna and Nachire border crossings in Lunda Norte to assess and help implement preparedness measures by local health authorities, as well as raise awareness among communities about Ebola, its symptoms, early reporting of suspected cases and how to stay safe.
The team provided training on key areas such as the Ebola virus disease identification, infection prevention and control, active case finding, diseases surveillance in communities and at points of entry, sample collection and transportation, as well as risk communication, including strategies to address mis- or disinformation.
In total, 140 officials, including health professionals, community mobilizers, police officers and border authorities, took part in the trainings.
“The Ministry of Health’s priority is to guarantee early detection, appropriate case management, and above all, the protection of both our communities and the health workers in the frontline” says Dr Eusébio Manuel, Head of the Department of Hygiene and Epidemiological Surveillance at Angola’s Ministry of Health. “We are firmly committed to strengthening Angola’s preparedness against Ebola.”
In addition, more than 150 traditional and religious leaders, midwives, hunters and traditional healers from five municipalities of Luanda Norte took part in the preparedness activities that also aimed to build community trust and align local response with the municipal outbreak preparedness and action plans to ensure a coordinated and effective response.
“Preparing now means saving lives later. Every trained official and every informed community increases Angola’s capacity to respond effectively if the virus crosses the border,” says Dr Noémia Silva, WHO surveillance and immunization officer in Lunda Norte province.
WHO assesses the overall public health risk posed by the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as high at the national level, moderate at the regional level and low at the global level. WHO is working with the national authorities in 10 priority countries neighbouring the Democratic Republic of the Congo to initiate readiness assessments and contingency planning.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO) – Angola.