Malanje — The Province of Malanje recorded 109 deaths from tuberculosis during 2025, representing an increase of 38 deaths compared to the same period in 2024.
According to data from the Provincial Health Office, in 2025, about 2,390 patients were registered with the disease, of which 283 abandoned treatment.
The director of the Provincial Health Office, Ribeiro José de Carvalho, speaking during an event for World Tuberculosis Day, which is celebrated today, stated that data indicates Malanje as the 9th province with the highest number of cases in the country and with a lethality rate of 2.7 percent.
According to him, in order to remove the province from this situation, the Health Office has developed some actions aimed at providing a better response to cases, with emphasis on greater epidemiological control of the disease at the community level and improvement of the main indicators. "We have been carrying out free treatment, regular supervisions of the units with service, training of technicians, distribution of resources and holding lectures", he said.
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He highlighted that during the past year more Directly Observed Treatment Centers (DOTs) were implemented in the municipalities of Quéssua, Cambo Sunjinje, Mbanji ya Ngola, Milando, Capunda and Quitapa, which aim to ensure that tuberculosis treatment is complete and effective, reducing the dropout rate and decreasing the transmission of the disease in the communities.
On the other hand, he said it is necessary to invest more in the training and capacity building of human resources, in the expansion of services, in improving the capacity for early diagnosis and adherence to treatment and in prevention measures at the community level.
He congratulated the healthcare professionals dedicated to the fight against tuberculosis at different levels and encouraged them to prioritize humanization in the exercise of their profession.
In turn, the head of the Provincial Department of Public Health, Rosa Brandão, pointed out that many cases of tuberculosis are associated with poor nutrition, HIV/AIDS, excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages, smoking, and other drugs that end up killing the body's defense cells.
Rosa Brandão drew society's attention to preventive care against tuberculosis, as it is a disease that kills many people worldwide and in Angola in particular. Currently, 65 patients are hospitalized at the Provincial Sanatorium Hospital.
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The event, which took place under the motto "Yes, We Can End Tuberculosis," was preceded by the delivery of medicines, reagents, and nutritional supplies to patients. Tuberculosis is an infectious and transmissible disease caused by a bacterium known as Koch's bacillus, mainly affecting the lungs, but it can affect other organs and systems of the body.
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