May 12, 2020
U.S. Government Contributes toward Coronavirus COVID-19 Response in Angola
Luanda, Angola – The United States Government has committed more than $3.5 million to support the Government of Angola’s response to the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak.
The U.S. Ambassador to Angola, Nina Maria Fite, shares that “with an annual investment of more than 30 million dollars in annual support to Angola’s health sector, the United States has been committed to the health of Angolans well before COVID-19. However, our commitment goes beyond funding – it’s in our contribution to national policies, to investing in the healthcare workforce and to strengthening health systems. We have been working alongside Angolas’s public health officials for more than two decades and continue to stand with Angola throughout this crisis.”
The Centers for Disease Control’s $3 million initial commitment will be used for assisting the Government of Angola with procuring laboratory and biosafety supplies including testing reagents, maximizing COVID-19 surveillance activities, ensuring the safety of Angola’s healthcare workforce, mitigating COVID-19 spread in health facilities, and strengthening emergency operations frameworks. This funding builds on CDC’s long-standing global investments to control HIV, TB, and malaria, eradicate polio, and prepare for influenza and other pandemic diseases. Since 2002, CDC has supported Angola’s Ministry of Health (MOH) to improve health security, which have laid the foundation to rapidly and effectively prepare for emerging disease threats, including the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Since early January 2020, CDC has supported the deployment of nearly 30 Angolan-based technical experts to support Angola to prepare for and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. These CDC trained experts are working side-by-side with Angolan health officials at the national laboratory and as part of the frontline response to the outbreak. They are:
- Conducting trainings on preparedness and response
- Providing technical assistance on laboratory operations, infection prevention and control, and disease surveillance
- Training field epidemiologists (disease detectives) to collect, analyze and interpret data and contribute to evidence-based decisions.
USAID has committed $570,000 be used to limit human-to-human transmissions; prevent and control infections in key health facilities; communicate critical risk information; and help provide water and sanitation. USAID is also providing $500,000 to help improve procurement of medicines and other health commodities as part of the COVID-19 response. Approximately $380,000 of USAID’s water, sanitation, and hygiene program will go towards preventative measures, improving access to water in communities at risk.
In addition, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is contributing to the COVID-19 response in Angola by training Ministry of Health staff working in health facilities on proper use of biosafety techniques during laboratory specimen collection and processing. PEPFAR is also working with the National Public Health Laboratory to develop data collection tools, training, job aids, and protocols for COVID-19 testing and contact tracing. Those training and tools will significantly increase Angola’s ability to contain the spread of COVID-19 and thereby decrease the risk of exposure for people living with HIV.
The U.S. Government’s support for Angola is part of its larger effort to provide public health support to nations battling the COVID-19 pandemic across the globe. The U.S. Government has committed more than $900 million in emergency health, humanitarian, and economic assistance specifically aimed at helping communities around the world fight the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding will save lives by improving public health education, protecting healthcare facilities, and increasing laboratory, disease-surveillance, and rapid-response capacity in more than 100 of the most at-risk countries around the world. Americans don’t just provide aid through government means. We have helped populations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic around the world through the generosity of private businesses, nonprofit groups, and faith-based organizations.
Today’s funding announcement also builds upon decades of U.S. government leadership as the largest contributor to global health security and humanitarian assistance. Since 2009, American taxpayers have generously made available more than $100 billion dollars in health assistance and nearly $70 billion in humanitarian assistance globally. This has helped position its partners to provide their citizens with life-saving support during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For additional information, please contact the US Embassy Public Affairs Section by e-mailing pressluanda@state.gov or calling 222-641-000.
