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UN PhotoWHO / ANGOLA CHOLERA OUTBREAK RESPONSE
STORY: WHO / ANGOLA CHOLERA OUTBREAK RESPONSE
TRT: 04:29
SOURCE: WHO
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT WHO ON SCREEN
LANGUAGES: PORTUGUESE / NATS
DATELINE: 01 MAY 2025, SAMBIZANGA, LUANDA PROVINCE, ANGOLA
01 MAY 2025, SAMBIZANGA CHOLERA TREATMENT CENTER, SAMBIZANGA, LUANDA PROVINCE
1. Various shots, inside the hospital showing cholera patients and health workers
2. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) António Catunda, Health Promotion Supervisor:
“In fact, as you know, the etiologic agent of cholera is water-borne and because of the precariousness/poverty, very few of these people can afford to buy water, they can't afford it. It would be the opposite if we had a public water distribution network here, where this population could get water, where this individual could get water for consumption. But unfortunately, nothing. Talking about the issue of malnutrition, for an individual who already has malnutrition problems, affected by Cholera vibrio: the impact is quick. Why? Because the immune system is sustained by food, the immune system is sustained by food, having a low immune system and affected by Cholera vibrio, if there is no quick intervention we have no way (to save the person). We are likely to lose that child, bother, or father.”
3. Medium shot, inside the hospital showing cholera patients and health workers
4. Medium shot, patient and father talking to health worker
5. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Dra Adelaide Manico, Coordinator of the Sambizanga Cholera Treatment Center:
“Our people here don't have toilets; they still throw their waste in the dumps. They don't have drinking water, so it's a very poor population, very poor.”
01 MAY 2025, BAIRRO DA LIXEIRA, SAMBIZANGA, LUANDA PROVINCE
6. Wide shot, food stalls and people walking around
7. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) António Catunda, Health Promotion Supervisor:
“We walk around with loudspeakers, urging people to do what they can to get rid of this evil. From personal hygiene to collective hygiene and the issue of environmental treatment, environmental health. Burning garbage or burying it, right? That's our message, it's hard work. Both the residents' committee and the ADECOS (community mobilizers), as well as the Fire Brigade, which has been helping us lately since the decrease in cases began, in reality this is the dynamic. The result of this experience is that you can see it – and you can see it – at the CTC (cholera treatment centre), those who came ten, 15, 20 days ago could see that the CTC was full, but today we have one or two or three cases, thank God. This is the result of the dynamics of the coordination, the director of public health, surveillance, our partners, Dr. Yara from the WHO, as well as the WHO itself, and the fire department.”
8. Various shots, WHO, ADECOS and partners in a briefing before going door to door in the community
01 MAY 2025, SAMBIZANGA, LUANDA PROVINCE
9. Various shots, ADECOS knocking on a door and talking to a resident about Cholera prevention
10. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Flávio Njinga, Adeco:
“We're tired of seeing deaths, we're tired of seeing patients with these problems. We also want to rest, and we can't. Since January 13th, when we started fighting cholera, we've been fighting it all the time. So, we want at least one day's rest, we can't rest. We are the rapid response team, and we won't stop until this is over.”
01 MAY 2025, BAIRRO DA LIXEIRA, SAMBIZANGA, LUANDA PROVINCE
11. Wide shot, ADECOS team members engaging with children
Since January 2025, cholera has spread to 17 of the country’s 21 provinces. The outbreak has already caused almost 600 deaths, with a high death rate of 3.2 per cent, exceeding the one per cent threshold used as an indicator for early and adequate treatment of cholera patients.
The outbreak is affecting individuals of all age groups, with the highest burden among those under 20 years old. The Ministry of Health, with support from WHO and partners, is managing the cholera outbreak response through case detection, deployment of rapid response teams, community engagement, and a vaccination campaign.
