Luanda - The deputy minister of Health, Evelize Frestas said Wednesday in Luanda that all pregnant and childbearing age women should make sure that they got two to five doses of vaccination against tetanus for rapid immunization in order to prevent disease and contribute to neonatal death drop,  accounting for 30 percent of infant mortality in the country.

 
Evelize Frestas was addressing an opening of the informal meeting with experts from the Ministry of Health, World Health Organization (WHO) and UN Children Fund (UNICEF), under the motto: Journalists united for the elimination of tetanus in Angola."

 
According to the vice minister, tetanus, affecting the newborn, also known as neonatal tetanus, is a major concern in public health that usually develops during the first and second weeks of life and is fatal in 70 to 90 percent of the cases.

Despite successfully declining in maternal and infant mortality, neonatal tetanus is still a major cause of neonatal mortality to the mortality of about 100 percent, said the official.

She added that the elimination of maternal and neonatal tetanus is one of the priorities of the Government outlined for 2012, which will enable the achievement of the 4th millennium development goal.