Saurimo - Fifty-seven thousand positive cases of malaria have been diagnosed in the eastern province of Lunda-Sul by the health authorities in the last two months, said Wednesday in Saurimo the director of the Provincial Health Office, Viegas de Almeida, who did not provide comparative figures.
The cases were registered in different health centres in the province and caused 19 deaths.
The official revealed that children under the age of five dominate the cases.
He said that the lack of basic sanitation in the area, reflected in the existence of a lot of vegetation, standing water and solid waste in backyards and in some of the city's streets, is one of the factors contributing to the proliferation of the disease.
"The medical teams and partners have done their best to sensitise families to observe the measures to prevent this disease", he said.
He called on the population to prioritise hygiene in order to prevent the disease, as well as to go for health services in time.
Viegas de Almeida said that another concern for the sector is the shortage of blood reserves.
Every day, 25 blood transfusions are carried out, a situation that has led to disturbances in the normal functioning of haemotherapies, he warned.
The province of Lunda-Sul has 762 beds, distributed in different sanitary units, assisted by 638 nurses and 116 national doctors, including foreigners.
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