The prevalence of infectious diseases continues to worry the Health sector, given the weight of the diseases in the country. AIDS, for example, killed about 35,463 people in the first nine months of last year and malaria 341 individuals.

In an interview to "Notícias", the deputy national director for Public Health at the Ministry of Health (MISAU), Benigna Matsinhe, says that, along with these pathologies are the Non Communicable Diseases (NTC), which represent one third of deaths in health facilities.

Benigna Matsinhe explains that the risk of premature mortality, i.e. death from NTDs, before the age of 70 is 18 percent.

"More worrying is the fact that most of these premature deaths and disability from NCDs can be prevented or postponed by reducing exposure to risk factors such as excessive alcohol consumption, tobacco use, unhealthy diet, and physical inactivity," he noted.

According to the source, one of the challenges is related to the deficiency in the notification of NCD cases, in order to have the real dimension of these diseases in the country, and said that the sector is working to overcome the problem.

Speaking at the First International Conference on Public Health in Africa, Matsinhe said that the success in the fight against these diseases depends on many factors, various interventions, and investments from different sectors.

Benigna Matsinhe also spoke of the sector's challenges in securing internal financing to reduce dependence on support and investment from external partners.

About the increase of Covid-19 cases, the deputy national director said that the sector has designed strategies for greater control of the disease, including vaccination, and calls on all eligible to adhere to immunization in order to avoid further hospitalizations and deaths from the new coronavirus.