The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on behalf of the American people has provided an additional $5.1 million in assistance for Madagascar’s COVID-19 response. This funding, which supports national and community level primary health care facilities, will accelerate widespread and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccination and reduce morbidity and mortality from COVID-19.
Through this assistance, Madagascar can enhance its planning, preparedness, and response to the pandemic, particularly ensuring the necessary infrastructure is in place to make vaccines available to the people of Madagascar. For example, these funds will help support disease monitoring and surveillance to detect outbreaks of the virus; vaccine and medical supply delivery; protective equipment and training for Madagascar’s health workers; laboratory testing upgrades and expansion, and public information on COVID-19 protection.
Four USAID projects, working in collaboration with other key actors, are undertaking these activities in support of the Government of Madagascar’s COVID-19 response: RISE, implemented by the Institut Pasteur de Madagascar; USAID IMPACT, implemented by Population Services International; USAID ACCESS, implemented by Management Sciences for Health; and Infection Disease Detection and Surveillance, implemented by ICF International.
This assistance is part of the U.S. government’s $720 million global effort to expand and intensify the fight against COVID-19 abroad, respond to humanitarian crises exacerbated by COVID-19, and support a global recovery while preparing for future pandemic threats.
The U.S. Government has been a leading partner to Madagascar, standing side-by-side like “mpirahalahy mianala” in responding to outbreaks of plague, measles, malaria, and COVID-19, and remains the largest single-country donor to Madagascar’s health sector, providing $74.5 million in 2020 alone to strengthen the country’s health system.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Embassy in Madagascar & Comoros.
