The Director for Africa of the World Health Organization (WHO), Luis Gomes Sambo, has said in Angola that WHO is committed to improving health in Africa, by building a deeper technical, scientific and financial partnership with the countries.

According to Angolan official news agency Angop on Friday, the official was speaking at a meeting participated by delegations from the US Health and Social Affairs Department, WHO sub- directors and heads of technical programs of the Angolan Health Ministry.

Sambo pointed out as example the assistance that has been given by the Global Fund for Malaria, Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS to several African countries, and the initiative of 1.2 billion dollars donated by the US government to fight malaria in sub- Saharan Africa, for the next five years.

He informed that WHO is also concerned about the appearance of four new cases of poliomyelitis in three provinces of Angola, after four years without a single case.

Speaking about the control of epidemics in Africa, Sambo expressed his wish to set up in Angola the second watch center and control of transmissible diseases.

"There is a center in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, but we should try to create conditions for the creation of another one in Africa, " he said.

In Luanda, the special assistant of the US Health Department, William Steiger paid homage to the Angolan professionals who have been fighting the Marburg epidemic.

He reminded that the support to the improvement of the quality and access to health services is one of the priorities for his country's foreign policy.

In this sense, he promised to send to Angola, in August, a team to assess the health sector, and expressed the hope that all opportunities are taken advantage of, in the fight against malaria.

Sambo is carrying out an official tour of some African countries, accompanied by the special assistant of the US Health Department, William Steiger.

The WHO-US delegation traveled Friday to the northern Uige Province to open the cycle of vaccination campaign against polio.

Source: Xinhua