Whats New
Inauguration of HIV/AIDS Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) clinic in Soyo
USAID, in partnership with the Angolan Ministry of Health and the Associação do Bloco 15, including Esso Angola, inaugurated an HIV/AIDS Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) clinic in Soyo, Zaire province, on July 10th, 2006. Distinguished guests included Ambassador Efird, Vice Minister of Health Van-Dúnem, and Dr. Kent Hill, Assistant Administrator of Global Health.
This clinic, which is a new addition to Soyo's Regional Hospital, is the first facility of its kind in the Zaire province. It has been set up to provide essential services to the people of Angola at a critical point in its fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Its purpose is to help the people of Soyo know their HIV seroprevalence status, and make decisions and lifestyle choices based on that information. Conducted surveys currently suggest that nationwide HIV prevalence stands at 2.8%, and that 2.2% of pregnant women seeking antenatal hospital care in the province of Zaire have been exposed to the HIV virus, and run the risk of spreading the virus to their children and others. Many factors suggest that the index in Angola can rise and become comparable to that of other African nations unless efforts to prevent expansion are put into motion, such as the services offered by this VCT clinic.
While there is still no cure for HIV/AIDS, medicine exists to sharply reduce the risk of infection for newborn children, and is helping spare them the burden of disease. Medicine also exists to prolong lives, and stop the spread of disease within the bodies of the infected. Angola's Global Fund program is helping to make available this medicine for free in more and more provinces across Angola. This center and its facilities will play a vital role in improving the health system and social services in Soyo as this municipality continues to grow. The United States Government is engaged in providing support to the Government of Angola in fighting HIV/AIDS.
