Saturday, December 20, 2014

EPIDEMIA: Jamaica Signs Agreement with IDB to Combat Chikungunya, Ebola

12/20/2014

SAN JUAN – The government of Jamaica on Friday signed an agreement with the Inter-American Development Bank, or IDB, to allocate $250,000 of grant resources to improve national surveillance, prevention and control of infectious diseases like Ebola and Chikungunya.

The grant will “strengthen the public health capacity within the Ministry of Health, to prevent and control the spread of infectious diseases, with principal focus of ChikV (Chikungunya Virus) and EVD (Ebola Virus Disease),” Finance Minister Peter Phillips said at the signing ceremony, according to a government statement.

The Ministry of Health will execute the grant, which will also facilitate the continuation of the program already underway and support the establishment of Emergency Response Centers.

The Ministry will help to provide needed support to the development and implementation of a communication strategy and public education program on these viral diseases.

The agreement coincides with IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno’s visit to Jamaica to commemorate the 45-year relationship between Kingston and the bank.

As of Dec. 12, Jamaica had 1,203 suspected cases of Chikungunya and 78 confirmed cases, according to the latest report from the Caribbean Public Health Agency.

Jamaica is among several Caribbean countries that recently banned entry to travelers from Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea due to the Ebola outbreak.


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