Lisbon — The Angolan Health minister José Van-Dúnem said on Wednesday in Lisbon, Portugal, that the 2.1 HIV/AIDS positive prevalence rate in Angola was due to the war that prevented the movement of people from the African countries with high rate of HIV incidence.

The minister said so while addressing the topic "Responding to HIV infection - The role of political leadership". José Van-Dúnem said that with peace, achieved seven years ago, the country is busy rehabilitating the roads and destroyed infrastructures, which attract people from neighbouring countries with high HIV/AIDS prevalence rate.

He noted that there is in the country a National Commission of combating the disease, led by the President of the Republic, José Eduardo dos Santos, which makes this fight a multi-sector issue. On the other hand, the Angolan minister said that the Angolan government has other actions that must be met.

He mentioned setting out of clear programmes and tasking responsibilities and resources to municipal administrations, with the formation of commissions led by the administrators' wives, who are able to interact with those in power.

In his turn, George Sampaio, the UN envoy for tuberculosis, said at the opening session that the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP) can contribute to the Millennium Development Goals, with policies, coordination and strengthening of solidarity and partnership.

He stated that the fight against major endemic diseases must be on top priority of the community. However, the WHO regional director for Africa, Luis Gomes Sambo, who congratulated the CPLP meeting programme, emphasized that worldwide the number of people infected continues to grow and that 1.9 million new cases are registered every year.

The HIV prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa varies between one and 25 percent and that AIDS is the leading cause of mortality with 72 percent of deaths in the world, concluded the WHO official.