In a move assisting India in its war against Covid-19, the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) announced a USD 3.6 billion financial aid.
This aid will help the country in preparedness, prevention and response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The financial assistance will also support the country in the development of the Infection Prevention Control (IPC) centers of excellence.
These centers are aimed at improving hospital networks and strengthen the local hospitals with necessary surveillance and monitoring systems, the US Embassy said in a statement.
“The initial tranche of funding will seek to strengthen further and support the government’s efforts to increase laboratory capacity for SARS-COV-2 testing, including molecular diagnostics and serology,” the Embassy stated.
CDC will collaborate with the local partners in the development of a robust public health system in India to fight COVID-19 and any other future diseases.
Addressing challenges in a public health emergency, the team is also planning for the setting up of health emergency operation centers.
Reportedly, the CDC team has been working with India since early January 2020 in support of COVID-19 response.
Lab strengthening, infection control and prevention, emergency management, health workforce development, risk communication and community management are among the priority areas of the project.
Training and Awareness
In this regard, the CDC also conducted training programs for health administrators and other medical staff in the country.
The training programs included preparedness, response, prevention and control of the disease.
The frontline workers also received training on lab preparations and field epidemiology required to collect, analyze, detect and contribute to evidence-based decision making.
This global health response program aims at controlling the human-human transmission of the virus through collaboration with key government and non-governmental institutions.
