Angola: cross-border HIV infections

Angola: Aids Epidemics Has Neighbouring Countries Influence - Study
AllAfrica.com - Washington,USA
Angolan deputy minister of Health, José Van-Dunem, said Tuesday in Luanda that studies indicate that Aids epidemics has an inward trend and a certain certain influence from neighbouring countries with border provinces operating as entry routes for the disease ... The deputy minister said the provinces of Cunene (south), Kuando Kubango (southeast), Lunda Norte and Lunda Sul (east) have higher rates of prevalence of Hiv/Aids than in the other provinces of the country, whose general average is of 2,7 percent. José Van-dunem stated that data available show that there has been some improvement in the Cunene province and a light aggravation in Kuando Kubango, whereas a light rise in prevalence is noted in other provinces of the country ... In his turn, the director of the National Institute of Fight Against Aids, Dulcelina Serrano, considered as very important the programme of epidemiological surveillance, as it permits to gather data on the dissemination of the pandemics in the country. She said the results obtained with the programme of surveillance enabled the Government and its partners to outline strategies, to know the characteristics and target groups ... The National Institute of Fight Against Aids has as its partners Unaids, the health division of the Angolan Armed Forces, the World Health Organisation and others ...