FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
[Port-au-Prince] – Through the generosity of American taxpayers, the United States Government is providing a total of $16.1 million to help Haiti respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. The funding will support the Haitian Government’s National COVID-19 Response Plan, led by the Haitian Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) with support from the Ministry of Interior’s Directorate for Civil Protection (DPC), the Haitian critical care hospital network, and local and international organizations.
Ambassador Sison noted, “The American people have a long history of helping their neighbors both at home and abroad. The United States provides aid because we believe it’s the right thing to do; we also provide assistance as a matter of pragmatism. If we can help countries contain outbreaks, we’ll save lives abroad and at home in the United States.”
Working through the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the United States will support:
● Purchasing and distributing handwashing kits to reach approximately 400,000 Haitians coupled with information on how to prevent the spread of COVID 19;
● Case management to strengthen clinical care while minimizing the risk of onwards transmission to others. CDC provides focus on critical case management including the use of supplemental oxygen and ventilators to assist those with difficulty breathing
● Infection prevention and control measures to reduce the risk of infections in health-care facilities.
● Laboratory strengthening to prepare laboratory systems for large-scale testing of COVID-19.
● Points-of-entry public health screening to help Haiti implement emergency plans to screen people arriving at the country’s various points of entry, such as airports and land-border crossings.
● Launching a national handwashing campaign in health facilities, religious centers, marketplaces and public spaces in French and Creole.
● Amplifying the Haitian Government’s COVID 19 messaging through national and local radio, sound-trucks, megaphone announcements, and visual materials posted in prominent areas that Haitians visit for essential supplies, to specifically address stigma, discrimination, misinformation, and myths;
● Rapid response to enhance with case-finding and event-based surveillance for COVID-19. USAID also helps countries train and support rapid-response teams to investigate cases and conduct contact tracing.
● The graduates of CDC’s Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP),“disease detectives,” respond to health threats and formed a ready response force for COVID-19 case investigations.
● Health information systems strengthening to support surveillance efforts. CDC is partnering with Ministère de la Santé Publique et de la Population (MSPP) to use existing information systems alongside cellular technology for effective geolocation for contact tracking and tracing.
● Partners will be responsible for strengthening the DPC’s coordination role by filling its needs for equipment, transportation, and communication.
The United States has invested nearly $6.7 billion in total assistance, including more than $1.8 billion in health in Haiti over the past 20 years. Because an infectious-disease threat anywhere can become a threat everywhere, the United States calls on other donors to contribute to the global effort to combat COVID-19.
For more information about USAID’s or CDC’s response to COVID-19, please visit:
https://www.usaid.gov/coronavirus-covid-19 and https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov
