Luanda ‒ Manuel Domingos, group chief of the Mussenga neighbourhood in Icolo e Bengo province in northwest Angola, recollects a time when the water provide to his group was serviced by a “unreliable water tank.” This case is widespread throughout Angola, the place, in keeping with authorities knowledge, round 44% of the inhabitants has no entry to protected consuming water and solely 55% has sufficient sanitation. In rural areas, these figures are even decrease, growing the danger of ailments akin to cholera.

Since 7 January 2025, Angola has been responding to a cholera outbreak, with round 11 500 circumstances and virtually 440 deaths reported as of 9 April 2025. In response, well being authorities, with help from World Well being Group (WHO) and United Nations Youngsters’s Fund (UNICEF), have launched into a mission to map and deal with the nation’s predominant water entry factors. The intention is to determine sources of contamination, assure entry to handled water and cease the unfold of cholera.

In keeping with this mission, in January and February 2025, 28 public well being officers from 15 municipalities in 5 of probably the most affected provinces have been skilled in mapping water sources. They discovered how you can use georeferencing instruments to find and doc water sources, acquire knowledge on cholera circumstances and insert this info into maps, thereby figuring out potential contamination websites. This made it attainable to deploy groups skilled in water remedy, case administration and group involvement.

“Due to this coaching, we have been capable of determine the factors of contamination, pinpoint the precise drawback areas and, in coordination with the Ministry of Vitality and Water and the Nationwide Institute for Well being Analysis, be certain that households have entry to consuming water,” says Marinela Moniz, technical officer within the Division of Atmosphere and Primary Sanitation in Cacuaco, a suburb in Angola’s capital, Luanda.

Practically 320 water sources have been mapped throughout the nation, bettering entry to handled water for folks, significantly in Luanda and Icolo e Bengo provinces, which collectively account for round 94% of cholera circumstances and 15% of associated deaths within the nation.

Domingos says that the go to of technicians to his neighbourhood has improved the state of affairs. “The water technicians visited the water supply in our group and educated us concerning the significance of handled water and since then, our tanks have been equipped with protected water. Now, our kids are higher shielded from the specter of cholera,” he says.

Dr Indrajit Hazarika, WHO consultant in Angola, emphasizes the significance of multisectoral efforts to finish cholera. “Due to multisectoral management and the help of companions, we’re constructive that it will likely be attainable to manage contamination and finish cholera quickly in Angola. However we should speed up entry to high quality water, enhance sanitation, strengthen prevention and remedy, and guarantee lasting safety to stop us from dropping lives to ailments akin to cholera,” he says.

In the meantime, officers like Moniz go to communities each week, speaking to households and inspiring them to observe measures to stop cholera. “We’re positive that with extra coaching and materials to work with, we’ll assist assure protected consuming water for households, finish the outbreak and save lives,” she says.