One of the developing African countries challenged with severe health problems and requiring special attention from international organizations is Angola which has been marked by increasingly high levels of malaria incidence. Malaria is considered the main health problem haunting Angola (Schwartz et al., 2001) and this tendency has been persistent for years. The number of deaths caused by the disease has been varying but extremely high – around 21,000 cases in 2012 (UNDP, n/a). Moreover, the disease affected non-Angolan residents during the civil war in the country lasting until the early 2000s: the troops of the UN peacekeeping mission were affected as well. The long civil war lasting for almost three decades damaged Angolan healthcare system, antimalarial preventive system and public healthcare infrastructure
Among the local population, this disease sparked by simple mosquito bites is highly prevalent and particularly dangerous for maternal health, with pregnant women and mother demanding even greater efforts and attention for morbidity prevention. Malaria epidemiology, treatment and prevention have been subjects for scholarly research. Particularly, the recent epidemiological research outlines tendencies in the disease occurrence between 2010 and 2015: the peak period of disease incidence falls within the period between December and March which coincides with the rainy season in Angola, while the reported annual decrease in malaria admissions is 52% within this the five-year period (Salvador et al., 2015). The research also outlines geographical distribution tendencies for malaria: the disease is hyperendemic in the norther part of the country, while the lowest incidence rate is registered in the south (Salvador et al., 2015).
Naturally, the decrease in malaria incidence over the recent years is the result of active prevention and treatment initiatives launched by various NGOs and governmental organizations. After the war, the international community engaged in joint efforts intended to combat malaria in Angola and protect children (especially those under five years who are among the most vulnerable groups) and women (especially pregnant women and mothers). For instance, the United Nations Development Program funded the Global Fund Malaria program in the country and contributed to healthcare infrastructure improvement, treatment accessibility increase and preventive measures. The program report states that UNDP has managed to decrease reported deaths from malaria, distribute around 1.4 million nets treated with insecticides and improve malaria treatment (UNDP, n/a).
One of the pioneer programs designed to combat malaria in Angola is the program initiated by Barack Obama in 2008, Global Health Initiatives (GHI). The Malaria Operational Plan, a part of this program, is intended at raising and allocating funds for health improvement in Angola (as well as in other African countries). According to the report of 2011, the program was implemented in Angola in order to improve maternal health, decrease the number of women suffering from malaria and prevent transmission. GHI chose Angola as the first recipient country for its aid in antimalarial measures.
USAID, too, has been an active contributor to antimalarial measures in Angola, distributing bed nets, providing treatment and spraying. USAID reports that President’s Malaria Initiative helped reduce malaria incidence from over 8,000 to around 1,700 between 2008 and 2014 (USAID, 2016). USAID’s activity is concentrated in the hyperendemic provinces of Huila, Huambo and Luanda; interestingly, the organization also funds training for local medical workers in order to improve diagnostics and timely treatment (USAIDS, 2016). UNICEF has been actively involved in antimalarial measures in Angola, too. In 2016, the organization reported that 44,000 bed nets had been distributed in Angola’s Bengo province in order to prevent malaria transmission (Lourenço, 2016). The national government, on the other hand, has been collaborating actively with the international organizations including the mentioned ones and others in order to strengthen its capacity to respond to the disease burden and reduce incidence rates.
Overall, the progress achieved in solution of Angola’s malaria problem over the recent decade is tremendous, with increasing treatment accessibility, wider bed nets and spraying distribution, healthcare infrastructure improvements and, of course, decrease in the overall malaria incidence rate. However, there is information pointing to persistence of the problem: in 2016, mortality rate related to malaria soared in comparison to the previous years with even the areas with low endemic prevalence being hit (Brock, 2016). Angola’s economic difficulties resulted in severe budget cuts for public sector causing piles of uncollected garbage with increases the risk of the disease spread. On the other hand, record amounts of rainfall increased frequency of malaria incidence dramatically.
Judging by the changeable dynamics of Angola’s malaria morbidity and mortality rates as affected by foreign aid, climate conditions and economic situation, one could possibly conclude that the measures taken by the multiplicity of NGOs and the national government generate significant results, though they might be reversed by climate factors, which are not controlled by people.
While the joint efforts of many international organizations aimed at provision of bed nets, spraying, treatment, vaccines, education for local healthcare workers, and infrastructure recovery aid have managed to reduce malaria incidence and mortality rates greatly over the past years, it is possible to say that these measures have potential for resolving or at least relieving the problem. However, the efforts should be systematized and long-term as the devastation caused by the war combined with climate conditions (that are a powerful risk factor) might pose a challenge for the chosen measures.
Reference List
Brock, J. (2016). Malaria deaths rising in Angola as health crisis spreads. Reuters. Retrieved January 14, 2017 from http://www.reuters.com/article/us-angola-health-malaria-idUSKCN0XN0EY
Lourenço, H. (2016). In Angola, mosquito nets keep malaria out. UNICEF. Retrieved January 14, 2017 from https://www.unicef.org/health/angola_91662.html
Salvador, F., Cossio, Y., Riera, M., Sánchez-Montalvá, A., Bocanegra, C., Mendioroz, J., & Molina, I. (2015). Changes in malaria epidemiology in a rural area of Cubal, Angola. Malaria Journal, 14(1), 519-534. doi:10.1186/s12936-014-0540-z
Schwartz, E., Paul, F., Pener, H., Almog, S., Rotenberg, M., & Golenser, J. (2001). Malaria antibodies and mefloquine levels among United Nations troops in Angola. Journal of Travel Medicine, 8(3), 113-116.
UNDP (n/a). Angola. Retrieved January 14, 2017 from http://www.undp-globalfund-capacitydevelopment.org/en/our-results/africa/angola/
USAID (2016). Global Health. Retrieved January 14, 2017 from https://www.usaid.gov/angola/global-health
