Angola: Unidentified disease kills 20 children in one village in under a month

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Source: https://www.macaubusiness.com/angol...-20-children-in-one-village-in-under-a-month/


Angola: Unknown disease kills 20 children in one village in under a month
By AFP
February 16, 2022

An unidentified disease has killed at least 20 children in the village of Cacata, in the Angolan province of Cabinda, in less than a month local health authorities said on Tuesday.

According to Cabinda’s provincial health director, Rúben Buco, the alert was given by traditional authorities and local health professionals, and a multidisciplinary team has been set up to investigate the cases.

“We received notification that 20 deaths were registered from the 21st of last month until last Saturday,” Buco told Angolan public radio.

The Cabinda health official noted that the multidisciplinary team for epidemiological surveillance comprises Cuban epidemiologists, paediatricians, public health experts and laboratory staff “to travel to the area to assess the evidence...

 

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Malaria in Tando-Zinze worries health authorities

Cabinda Wednesday, February 16, 2022 6:58 pm

Cabinda – The increase in malaria and acute anemia in the village of Nhobo, in the commune of Tando Zinze, seat municipality of Cabinda, is worrying the health authorities of the province of Cabinda.

Available data show that 20 children from 0 to 5 years old lost their lives from January to the first half of February of this year, a period considered to be much shorter due to the cause of death, raising suspicion on the part of the health services about the possibility of an eventual strange disease that is victimizing children in the district.

A multisectoral team from the secretary of health and the Provincial Hospital of Cabinda traveled to the commune of Tando-Zinze on Monday in response to information from the municipal health authorities and municipal administration to better assess the causes behind the death of children. in a lower period.

According to the data, 78 children were diagnosed through rapid malaria tests that resulted in positive results, that is, the existence of malaria within the children in the district of Nhobo, where samples were also collected for other laboratory tests that aim to definitively determine the causes of death. of children.

Contacted by ANGOP, Tuesday, at the Tando-Zinze health centre, Rosa Sambo, a nurse assigned to that health unit, said that the main cause of deaths are malaria and anemia due to the negligence of families (mothers) who do not seek care. health services.

"We are sad and worried about this behavior of fathers and mothers who prefer to take children who are already severely ill with malaria or anemia for traditional treatments and in private health centers that do not have the conditions to diagnose and treat the diseases", she lamented.

For Rosa Sambo, the health center of Tando-Zinze, although it needs more reinforcements in pharmaceuticals, brings together conditions for medical and drug assistance to the population and in particular the pediatric services to combat malaria and anemia that affect a large part of the population. of children in the district.

The authorities carry out fumigation actions in the village of Nhobo, as well as sensitization actions for communities to seek health services to prevent malaria and anemia.

The commune of Tando-Zinze, located in the southeastern part of Cabinda, shares land and river borders with the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. Its population is mainly engaged in agriculture, hunting and artisanal fishing and border trade.

https://www.angop.ao/noticias/saude/...n&_x_tr_pto=sc

 

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