Angola
Tuberculosis is a major public health problem in Angola. According to the National TB Prevention and Control Program (NTP), the number of reported TB cases increased almost threefold, from approximately 11,500 to more than 31,000,
between 1999 and 2002. In 2004, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of TB cases was estimated to be 40,073. Between 2002 and 2004, coverage with Directly Observed Therapy, Short-Course (DOTS) increased from 43 to 56 percent.
Treatment success rates have remained static at 68 percent, below the international standard of 85 percent, and default rates remain high at 23 percent as a result of the post-conflict setting.
In postwar Angola, a substantial proportion of the population is vulnerable to TB. Nearly three decades of civil war displaced 35 percent of the population and destroyed 70 percent of the country’s health facilities. Of the remaining clinics, only 20 percent have laboratory facilities, and about 15 percent of the population has access to these facilities. In addition, TB drugs are in irregular supply, and 40 percent of clinics have experienced stock-outs. Although drugs may be available in Luanda, the country has yet to develop internal transport and distribution
mechanisms.
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Note: All data are for 2004 except where noted otherwise.
Source: Global Tuberculosis Control: WHO Report 2006 |
Angola established the NTP in 1981, and by 2009, the program aims to strengthen case detection and treatment capacity in 11 provinces that are home to about 75 percent of the country’s population. By strengthening DOTS, the number of sputum smear-positive (SS+) TB cases detected in these provinces annually is expected to double from a baseline of 14,098 to about 28,000 in five years.
USAID Approach and Key Activities
Between 2004 and 2005, USAID funding averaged $400,000 per year. USAID is supporting Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Collegio Universitario Aspiranti Medici Missionari (CUAMM) to work closely with local TB partners and municipal
and provincial TB authorities. USAID is providing program support in the following areas:
- Training in DOTS expansion
- Strengthening TB surveillance
- Improving laboratory capacity
- Providing laboratory equipment
USAID Program Achievements
In its first year of TB funding, USAID has achieved the following:
- Provided technical assistance to the Ministry of Health, specifically in the areas of laboratory diagnosis and clinical TB treatment
- Trained health professionals in clinical management of TB-HIV/AIDS and opportunistic infections
- Supported five TB clinics to incorporate voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) into their routine procedures
- Provided technical assistance to the NTP that resulted in a successful TB funding proposal to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
- Supported an alliance of indigenous faith-based partners to improve TB control and prevention
- Enhanced TB case detection at HIV/AIDS VCT centers
Case Detection and Treatment Success Rates Under DOTS
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Note: DOTS treatment success rate for 2004 will be reported in the 2007 Global Report.
Source: Global Tuberculosis Control: WHO Report 2006. |
Partnerships
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and WHO are the major multilateral partners working with Angola’s Ministry of Health in TB prevention and control. Many NGOs, including Catholic Relief Services, Collegio Universitario Aspiranti Medici Missionari, and Medicos Sem Fronteiras, are also involved in supporting TB programs. The World Bank is in the second year of a five-year agreement with the government to finance a $20 million project, and the Global Fund is in the second year of an $11 million program, both supporting Angola’s TB and HIV/AIDS control program. September 2006
Related Links
September 2006
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