By request of the Ministry of Health of Angola and via the WHO EMT mechanism, Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund Germany, CADUS e.V. and Malteser International by the beginning of May deployed their IPC and WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) components to support health posts and centers as well as Cholera Treatment Centers (CTC) in the province of Benguela. 

In close coordination with the provincial government and health authorities, UNICEF and the WHO, the team conducted several trainings for over 50 representatives of 13 health posts, including CTCs, with an average volume of over 4000 patients per week, including suspected cases of cholera.

Trainings were conducted jointly with local partners from UNICEF and community-based intervention teams who will continue to capacitate health care workers with the materials and didactics developed by the German team in close coordination with WHO and UNICEF. The training focused on 4 main areas: screening and patient flow, correct use of PPE, preparation and use of different chlorine solutions and management of spill events. The implementation of the addressed preventive measures is currently being followed-up and accompanied by German experts jointly with the local training partners.

CADUS’ WASH component in cooperation with UNICEF installed two water filters, guaranteeing safe drinking water for an entire village as well as for a hospital. E. coli rapid testing conducted prior to the installation of the water filters had been found positive, indicating severe contamination of the water system.

This deployment demonstrates how strong partnerships across organizations can enable coordinated and needs-tailored responses to public health emergencies. It showcases an example of togetherness in the German EMT community as part of the ongoing joint efforts to strengthen their EMT outbreak response capacity, supported by the German EMT NFP Team.