Emergency Assistance for Dengue Fever Epidemic in Bolivia

February 17, 2009
Japanese

On February 17th (Tue), the Government of Japan decided to provide emergency relief goods (portable nebulizers) equivalent to approximately 7 million yen for the Republic of Bolivia, which is currently suffering an epidemic of dengue fever.
The Republic of Bolivia has been facing an outbreak of dengue fever across the country since January. According to the announcement by the Government of Bolivia on February 12th (local time), 18,356 suspected cases of dengue fever, 2,238 confirmed cases of dengue fever, 66 suspected cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever, and nine deaths attributed to dengue hemorrhagic fever had been reported. With the disease spreading nationwide, it is feared that the actual situation may turn out to be more serious as the details become clearer. In addition, there are concerns that the continuing rainfall in the country may cause the number of mosquitoes to rise, increasing the number of infected people.
The Republic of Bolivia has been making self-reliant efforts to fight against the disease in local cities and villages that have been most severely affected, including with cleaning and fumigation to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes, awareness campaigns to prevent the spread of the disease, and treatment of dengue fever patients in hospitals and clinics. Given the urgency of the situation, however, the country requested assistance from Japan.
In response to the request from the Government of Bolivia, Japan has decided to provide this emergency assistance for the country from a humanitarian point of view and in light of the friendly relations between Japan and Bolivia.

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