LILONGWE – The United States Government has committed $4.5 million in global health resources to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak in Malawi.
The United States, via USAID, is providing life-saving support to fight the pandemic by coordinating with the Government of Malawi, international humanitarian partners, and other stakeholders to identify priority areas for investment and support in the health, education, governance, and humanitarian assistance sectors. This assistance complements other U.S. government agencies’ COVID-19 response activities, including the Centers for Disease Control and the Department of Defense.
In response to the United States Government’s additional COVID-19 resources for Malawi, Ambassador Scott said: “Since 1960, the U.S. and Malawi have enjoyed a close relationship, and now, in these difficult times, the American people are proud to continue our long-standing partnership to fight this pandemic, and mitigate its impact.”
U.S. public health experts are liaising closely with the government and offering technical support to bolster the country’s COVID-19 response. Through this global health assistance, USAID will support the Government of Malawi’s National COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plan in the following critical areas:
- Support for appropriate case management services in health facilities and for patients at the community level.
- Infection prevention and control in health facilities.
- Public health screening at various land-border crossings and points of entry.
- Media campaigns and communication to help educate people on steps they can take to prevent and respond to the spread of the virus.
- Disease surveillance and operational support for rapid-response teams to investigate cases and conduct contact tracing.
- Procurement, distribution, and real-time monitoring of needed health commodities.
The United States has provided more than $3.6 billion in total assistance for Malawi over the past 20 years, including more than $1.7 billion in health assistance through USAID, the Centers for Disease Control, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, and other U.S. Government agencies. U.S. government funding and technical assistance for health system strengthening have created the skills, staffing, and facilities that will enable Malawi to mitigate the impact of COVID-19.
For decades, the United States has been the world’s largest provider of bilateral assistance in public health.
Since 2009, American taxpayers have generously funded more than $100 billion in health assistance and nearly $70 billion in humanitarian assistance. This generosity is underscored by our contributions to several crucial multilateral partners, which includes:
- U.S. support to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) of nearly $1.7 billion contributed in 2019. This support will be critical going forward, as refugee populations are uniquely vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- U.S. contributions to the UN Children’s Fund in 2019 totaled more than $700 million. The life-saving activities UNICEF has been doing for years — such as immunization campaigns and health and sanitation training and assistance — will save lives as we fight this dangerous pathogen.
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 response to COVID-19, please visit: https://www.usaid.gov/coronavirus-covid-19.