Luanda - Angola records a leprosy detection rate of two cases per 100,000 inhabitants and is in the process of eliminating the disease, said Monday in Luanda Province the Ministry of Health (MINSA).
According to the MINSA statement, as part of the celebrations for World Day for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) and Leprosy, the country still has a prevalence of one case per 100,000 inhabitants.
The document states that these diseases appear particularly in remote communities, creating cycles of poverty, causing immeasurable suffering, debilitating, disfiguring and disabling the victims, and it can even be fatal.
It adds that the disease does not only affect health, but also opportunities for well-being, especially children's ability to attend school or even cause them to be stigmatised by their families or communities.
According to MINSA, the elimination of these diseases is therefore the practical expression of social justice in the field of health, stressing that Angola is joining the global movement, using 30 January as the main key to raising awareness in society and strengthening multi-sectoral and people-centred approaches in the fight against neglected tropical diseases and leprosy.
The Minister of Health also stated that the fight against NTDs and leprosy is an investment in health equity, with a focus on integrating the fight against these diseases into primary health care, while also strengthening the health system.
Regarding Angola´s endemic situation, the ministry reveals that in Angola of the 20 NTDs, 16 are the most prevalent, including Schistosomiasis, Leishmaniasis, Lymphatic Filariasis, Trachoma, Onchocerciasis, Helminthiasis, Leprosy/Lanseniasis, Scabies/Sarna, Human African Trypanosomiasis, Rabies, Dengue, Chikungunya, Snakebite Poisoning, Dracunculiasis, Buruli Ulcer and Bouba.
MINSA has adopted the motto "Unite, Act and Eliminate" to strengthen the fight against NTDs and call for collective action, as well as global commitment, in the search for effective health solutions.
"We are making progress in eliminating NTDs, but a continuous joint effort is needed. We all have an important role to play in this process, by raising awareness, mobilising community resources and aiming to achieve the World Health Organization (WHO) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 3 targets for 2030," reads the statement.
World Day for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) and Leprosy is celebrated every year on the last Sunday of January.
The date is an opportunity to raise awareness, sensitise and encourage the maintenance of life through the promotion of hygiene and basic sanitation actions in the community.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially established 30 January as World Day for Neglected Tropical Diseases with the aim of raising awareness and strengthening collective action to eliminate them by 2030.
This date creates an opportunity to reflect on the need to look at the efforts made and the success story related to global public health to combat tropical diseases and leprosy, showing that it is possible to eliminate it.
NTDs and leprosy are a group of preventable and treatable diseases that affect more than 1 billion people worldwide.
Every year, between 400,000 and 500,000 new cases of leprosy occur globally.
The date was adopted by all the countries of the world in 1954, at the United Nations General Assembly, at the request of Mr Léon Gabriel Émile Raoul Follereau (a French writer, journalist and philanthropist), with the aim of raising awareness throughout society, promoting help and the integration of leprosy sufferers into society.
EVC/OHA/MRA/jmc
