For Immediate Release

Press Release

VIENTIANE, LAO PDR — The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) presented 30,000 long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets and 150,000 tablets of the anti-malarial drug “Primaquine 7.5mg,” with a total value of USD $75,000, to the Lao Ministry of Health.

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Let’s kick malaria out of Laos! Today, we are proud to handover $75000 worth of mosquito nets and anti-malaria drugs to the Ministry of Health.

USAID’s Acting Country Representative to Lao PDR, Dr. Kevin Smith gave the materials to the Director General of the Department of Communicable Disease Control, Dr. Phonepadith Sangsayyalath at a ceremony in Vientiane on May 24, 2024.  The bed nets, funded by USAID through the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), will be distributed by the Lao PDR government to vulnerable families and communities most at-risk of malaria and in the greatest need of treatment. The anti-malarial drugs will be distributed to hospitals and health centers. 

These donations from the United States will contribute to the Ministry of Health’s National Malaria Control Program in the fight against malaria and are part of the United States’ ongoing support to Laos in achieving its malaria elimination goal by 2030.

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Our malaria elimination effort with the Ministry of Health spans more than a decade.

Presenting the donations at the handover ceremony, Dr. Smith stated, “Our health assistance is a central part of the U.S.-Lao Comprehensive Partnership. The United States is proud to continue working with the Lao PDR government and our public health partners through this contribution of life saving supplies to eliminate malaria by 2030.”

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To date, we have provided over 1.2 million nets, 1 million rapid test kits, drugs and laboratory equipment to protect the people of Laos, particularly in high risk areas.

This handover is the most recent example of U.S. support to Lao PDR in combating malaria. Together with these donations, over the past 12 years USAID has provided technical assistance, supplied equipment, and distributed more than 1 million mosquito nets, nearly 1 million malaria diagnostic test kits, and anti-malarial drugs bringing the combined total amount of commodities at USD $5.4 million. 

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This brings the number of malaria cases down by over 90% in recent years. Thanks to @USAID and the U.S. President Malaria Initiative.

USAID’s current development assistance to Lao PDR spans more than a decade. This donation goes hand-in-hand with USAID’s focus on improving the health and livelihoods of the people of Lao PDR.  Additionally, USAID has partnered with Lao PDR to fight various infectious diseases, improve maternal and child health and nutrition, and enable persons with disabilities to live to their full potential.

See photos on our USAID Laos Facebook page here and on Flickr here.
 

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