Angola Records HIV Prevalence Rate Reduction

24 September 2025
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)

Luanda — The HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in Angola has decreased from 2 percent to 1.6 percent over the last 20 years, the Secretary of State for Public Health, Carlos Alberto Pinto de Sousa, revealed in Luanda.

Speaking at the 20th anniversary of the National Institute for Fight against AIDS (INLS), the Secretary of State said the reduction follows the intensification of prevention actions, early diagnosis, and access to adequate treatment.

Carlos Alberto Pinto de Sousa reaffirmed the government's commitment to combating the disease as a public health problem, highlighting the expansion of the antiretroviral treatment (ART) service network in the country, which has grown from 500 to over 170,000.

According to the Secretary of State, the expansion of ART services means more lives saved, fewer infections, and more hope for Angolan families.

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The official highlighted the progress made in preventing vertical transmission (from mother to child) from three to 881, the coverage of pregnant women in PMTCT programs from 34% in 2017 to 79% in 2024, and, consequently, the vertical transmission rate fell from 26% in 2007 to 16% in 2024.

According to the source, the effectiveness of the treatment has improved the viral suppression rate, a key indicator of therapeutic success, which rose from 79% in 2021 to 88% in 2024.

He revealed that this year, 10,537 patients who had abandoned treatment were readmitted, as a result of the active contact strategies implemented by the INLS.

During this period, 2,257,521 HIV tests were performed, with a positivity rate of 2.6%, corresponding to approximately 58,000 detected cases.

The official highlighted the progress made in preventing vertical transmission (from mother to child) from three to 881, the coverage of pregnant women in PMTCT programs from 34% in 2017 to 79% in 2024, and, consequently, the vertical transmission rate fell from 26% in 2007 to 16% in 2024.

According to the source, the effectiveness of the treatment has improved the viral suppression rate, a key indicator of therapeutic success, which rose from 79% in 2021 to 88% in 2024.

He revealed that this year, 10,537 patients who had abandoned treatment were readmitted, as a result of the active contact strategies implemented by the INLS..MEL/DC/AMP

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