Luanda, 26 July 2005 -- World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa Dr. Luís Gomes Sambo will visit his native country of Angola from July 27-29, 2005, accompanied by Special Assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services for International Affairs Dr. William Steiger. The purpose of this visit is to bolster international support for the reconstruction of the Angolan health system, continue the fight against the most dangerous communicable diseases and conduct efficient epidemiological surveillance nationally.

This will be the first official visit of Dr. Sambo to Angola since he took office in February 2005 as well as the first visit of a high-ranking official from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). WHO delegation includes the directors from the regional office responsible for communicable diseases surveillance and for Tuberculosis and Malaria, among others.

Dr. Steiger has particular responsibility for coordinating with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis (TB) and Malaria as the U.S. Government Alternate Board Member. The U.S. Government has contributed almost one-third of the total donations to the Global Fund. Angola has three grants from the Global Fund including more than $28 million for malaria, almost $28 million for HIV/AIDS, and more than $7 million for tuberculosis.

In addition to Dr. Steiger, the U.S. Government delegation includes Office of Global Health Affairs African Affairs Director, Samuel Adeniyi-Jones, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Mr. R.J. Benn and Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS Executive Director Joseph Grogan. The delegation will conduct site visits to on-going activities implemented in collaboration between the Angolan and U.S. Governments, assess the progress of the President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief in the country, observe polio eradication efforts, improve their knowledge of WHO programs and operations in country, and meet with Angolan Government officials, faith-based and other non-governmental leaders and other U.S. Government officials.

Since the conclusion of its civil war, Angola is trying to rehabilitate its national health, reduce the incidence of diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS, TB, and sleeping sickness and eradicate polio. In spite of polio efforts, after four years of no new reports, Luanda and Benguela provinces identified two new cases in June 2005. The U.S. Government including HHS/CDC, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has been supportive of Angolan Government efforts in these areas. After four years without polio, Luanda Benguela, and Lunda Sol provinces identified four new polio cases in June 2005 These viruses were imported from India. Angola is being technically and financially assisted by international partners, including WHO, CDC, and Doctors Without Borders and CUAMM, to continue the fight against the worst recorded incidence of the Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever. The delegation will travel to Uige, the area most affected by the disease. As of 20 July, Angola has reported a total of 361 suspected cases and 318 deaths due to the Marburg outbreak. However, authorities are optimistic that the spread of the disease is coming to a close. The main challenges are the lack of equipment and skilled health personnel in critical areas such as laboratory testing, infection control and epidemiological surveillance. While in Uige, the delegation also will participate in the launch of the polio National Immunization Days.

The delegation’s visit occurs just one month after the U.S. President George W. Bush announced a five-year, $1.2 billion Presidential Malaria Initiative beginning in Angola, Tanzania and Uganda. The initiative will benefit more than 175 million people in 15 or more African countries and aims to reduce malaria deaths by half in targeted countries.

For more information, please contact:

Dr. Carlos Alberto
MINSA
Tel: 912.30.12.45 
Email: kakaalberto [at] nexus.ao
Dr. Fernando Castilho 
CDC
Tel: 923 404 901
Email: CastilloF [at] gapcdcao.org
Mrs. Judy Wiergert
USAID
Tel: 399.518 
Email: jwiegert [at] usaid.gov     
Mr. José Caetano 
WHO
Tel: 912 220543 e-mail 
Email: caetanoj [at] ao.afro.who.int