According to the minister, who was speaking in Luanda at a ceremony marking World Tuberculosis Day, the incidence rate of tuberculosis in 2024 was 224.6 per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to 190.4 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023, with a total of 89,862 reported cases.
The age group most affected in this period was 25 to 34 years old, the official said.
“This high burden of morbidity has negative consequences for the health and economy of families and communities, and affects national development, due to the harmful consequences of school absenteeism, work absenteeism and loss of productivity,” said Carlos Pinto de Sousa.
The Secretary of State stressed that, globally, the incidence of tuberculosis has decreased by around 2 percent per year and between 2015 and 2020 the cumulative reduction was 11 percent, but in 2021, for the first time in more than a decade, there was a significant increase in the number of deaths from tuberculosis worldwide.
Among the factors that contributed to this situation, he highlighted access to diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Government intends to mobilize and ensure “that partners, the private sector, civil society organizations and the academic world devote more attention to urgently increasing investment in the fight against tuberculosis, and in research into this disease, to accelerate technological advances and the adoption of innovations that will make it possible to end tuberculosis by 2030”, he said.
Tuberculosis represents the third leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Angola, after malaria and road accidents.
According to the World Health Organization, Angola is among the 20 countries most affected by tuberculosis worldwide, with an annual average of 65,000 new cases of tuberculosis over the last five years.
World Tuberculosis Day, celebrated on 24 March each year, was created to raise public awareness about the global tuberculosis epidemic and efforts to eliminate the disease.
