International support in the fight against dengue fever in Laos continues to grow with the UN allotting US$753,504 for the country's emergency response to the disease.
The UN Central Emergency Response (CERF) grant comes just over a month after the government received US$100,000 in emergency funding from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The funding will be directed to the 11 provinces with the highest incidence of dengue, including Vientiane and Vientiane province.
Money will also be used to support 815 medical and nursing students in the field and to purchase life-saving medical equipment for 123 district hospitals.
World Health Organisation (WHO) technician, Dr Phetdavanh Leuangvilay, told Vientiane Times the dengue epidemic was continuing in Laos and the government had already spent all of its initial UN funding to support medical students in communities and to buy clinical supplies.
Phetdavanh said some of the US$100,000 grant was also spent on purchasing equipment for mosquito fumigation and organising teams to conduct education and information campaigns.
A recent assessment by the Ministry of Health and WHO in four dengue-affected provinces in the south found rapid mobilisation to control mosquito populations had been instrumental in reducing the spread of dengue.
From January 1 to August 25, 44,037 cases of dengue had been reported in Laos leading to 89 deaths.
That figure is more than 10 times higher than that for the same period last year and the current epidemic is widely regarded as one of the worst in Lao history.
UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Laos, Minh Pham, expressed his appreciation for the responsible actions taken by the government and its development partners to date.
“We are pleased to continue contributing to the coordinated effort of the humanitarian community to fight the epidemic and to enable the government to boost their response,” he said.
Phammet the Minister of Health, Professor Dr Eksavang Vongvichiton, last Friday to brief him on the CERF grant and to discuss support provided to the government.
WHO will work with the Ministry of Health, the University of Health Sciences and other related agencies to ensure effective usage of the extra funding.
UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Valerie Amos, said she hoped the grant would allow for the successful implementation of life-saving humanitarian activities.
