The United States Government has provided $670,000 to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in Iraq from the Emergency Reserve Fund for Contagious Infectious Diseases at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). USAID is providing these funds to the World Health Organization (WHO) to support Iraq’s COVID-19 readiness and response. These funds will contribute to the goals of the Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan to stop further transmission of COVID-19 in affected or at-risk countries, and to mitigate the impact of the outbreak in all countries.
“Today’s announcement shows the strength of the U.S. and #Iraqi partnership; and we are committed to fighting this pandemic alongside the Iraqi people,” said Ambassador Matthew Tueller. “Support provided through the WHO will directly enhance the county’s ability to combat the spread of COVID-19.” Funds that are going to the WHO will help the governments of currently affected or at-risk developing countries prepare their laboratories for large-scale testing for COVID-19; implement a public-health emergency plan for points of entry; activate case-finding and event-based surveillance for influenza-like illnesses; train and equip rapid-response teams; investigate cases and trace the contacts of infected persons; and adapt training materials for health workers on COVID-19.
For decades, the #United_States has been the world’s largest provider of bilateral assistance in public health. Through #USAID and the U.S. Department of State, American taxpayers have generously made available more than $90 billion dollars for health globally since 2009. This money has saved lives, protected people who are most vulnerable to disease, built health institutions, and promoted the stability of communities and nations. Of that figure, USAID has invested more than $1.1 billion dollars since 2009 to prevent, detect, and respond to endemic and emerging health threats, including diseases like #COVID-19.
For more information about USAID’s response to COVID-19, please visit: https://www.usaid.gov/coronavirus-covid-19 and https://iq.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information
For more information about novel coronavirus disease COVID-19 from the CDC, please visit: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html