Angolan mother and her children. USAID is focusing its health interventions in Angola on ending preventable child and maternal death, and achieving an AIDS-free generation. Photo by: USAID
The second-largest petroleum producer in Africa and the fourth-largest producer of diamonds in the world, Angola is an emerging international market. But its economic growth has not translated to the promotion of human development.
Angola’s health situation is among the worst in the world. Mortality rate of children under 5 is at 98 per 1,000, while maternal mortality is at 450 deaths per 100,000 live births. There is also a high prevalence of malaria, the main cause of illness and death in the country. These conditions seem to indicate that Angola is unlikely to meet the Millennium Development Goals of reducing child mortality, improving maternal health and combating malaria by 2015.
