Measles, malaria and typhoid outbreaks in Cuanza

Epidemics of various diseases, among them malaria, measles and typhoid, have become a serious concern for local authorities in the Ebo district of Angola’s South Cuanza province, local administrator Almeida Pinto told Lusa on Tuesday. The health condition of civil war refugees on the outskirts of the town of Conde is “especially serious”, Almeida said, adding that there was an “alarming lack of medicine and health personnel to help patients” in the area. “The little help they get comes from the Catholic Church”, he said. The Ebo district, located about 270 km southeast of Luanda, was previously an area with a large UNITA rebel presence. Most of its residents left their homes and are now spread among several refugee camps.