On Wednesday, the Angolan government considered the risk of smallpox virus transmission in the country to be high due to the “extensive land border” it shares with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRCongo), and strengthened its surveillance system.
“Our surveillance system is strengthened at the national level, we are talking about municipal, provincial and national levels, and so far there has not been a single case of smallpox, but the risk is high because we have a large border with the Democratic Republic of Congo,” said this Wednesday the head of the Disease Control Department of the National Directorate of Public Health of Angola, Eusebio Manuel.
In a conversation with Lusa, the official stressed that the “intensive movement” of people and goods along the official and unofficial borders between Angola and the DR Congo justifies the development of a contingency plan aimed at preventing the virus.