Project News

JICA made a donation worth $ 210,712 in equipment to the Ministry of Health for Chagas disease control. The equipment includes one 4WD truck, 35 off-road motorbikes, 180 spraypumps, 12 digital cameras and projectors, and a series of educational materials. This donation is part of the technical assistance offered by JICA through the second phase of the Chagas Disease control project which runs from March of this year until 2011.

Over 50 personnel participated in the ceremony, including the Japanese Ambassador Mr. Sisei Kaku, JICA Director, Mr. Yoshitaka Misawa, Minister and Vice Minister of Health of El Salvador, Regional Health Directors, Vector control team members and Health promoters from 7 health districts. In addition, participants included representatives from PAHO, the Inter-American Development Bank, Red Cross, the University of El Salvador, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador.

Importantly, the symbolic delivery of motorcycles was made directly to the Health promoters and vector control personnel, who will work directly in communities to conduct surveillance and vector control activities against “assassin bugs”.

The donated equipment will be used in the 7 districts (SIBASIs) that are implementing the Chagas Disease control activities: Santa Ana, Sonsonate, Ahuachapan, La Libertad, San Miguel, Morazán and Usulután.