Combating Malaria

Being involved in a medical ministry like CEML, we are keenly interested in the major causes of illness to Angolans so that preventative causes can be implemented.  Major attention is directed toward malaria, Angola's main medical killer that is the principal cause of morbidity and mortality in the country, especially among children under 5 years of age and pregnant women.

Have a look at the latest malaria statistics for Angola:

• In 2008, Angola reported 3.2 million cases of malaria, two-thirds of which occurred in children under 5 years of age.
• Malaria accounts for 35% of the overall mortality in children, 25% of overall maternal mortality and is the cause of 60% of hospital admissions for children under five and 10% for pregnant women.
• Anaemia due to malaria is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in both children and pregnant women and malaria is a leading cause of low birth weight in newborns. (Unicef Angola Report 2009)

While CEML's main involvement with malaria is really a reactive response in treating affected patients, it wholly supports the preemptive efforts of many other groups that aim to stop the spread of malaria by misquitos. 

The United Nations group, UNICEF, is one of the Angolan Government’s key partners in national malaria control in Angola.  It has a target to seek a 60% reduction in the impact of malaria nationally through education and the distribution of  Long Lasting Insecticial misquito Nets (LLINs).   Already having distributed some 2.5 million LLINs since 2005, they are planning to distribute some 3 million more nets over the next 3 years. 

We are hopeful that these efforts will offer greater protection against misquito bites to significantly improve the health of Angolans.