Amazonas flooding victims receive assistance from the United States
Funds will be used to purchase emergency supplies and to combat malaria in the state

Amazonas River overfloods. The state of Amazonas has nearly 250,000 victims

Photo: João Felipe Parreira

MANAUS – U.S Ambassador to Brazil Clifford Sobel announced an increase in U.S government assistance in response to the recent flooding in Amazonas state. The funds will be used to purchase emergency supplies and to combat malaria in the state. The investments made were raised from $50,000 to $150,000, thanks to the support offered by the U.S Government Southern Command.

Through an initiative of USAID and the Office of U.S Foreign Disaster Assistance in Washington D.C. (OFDA), U.S. Government Southern Command funds will purchase emergency supplies for communities most affected by the flooding in the state of Amazonas. The purchase and distribution of items such as water filters, IV saline solution, and basic hygiene supplies will be made available through the support of Fundação Djalma Batista (FDB).

The increased assistance offered by the U.S government will also benefit the distribution of insecticide impregnated mosquito nets, part of the strategy for the prevention and combat of malaria in communities around Manaus. Financed by USAID and U.S. Government Southern Command and implemented by the FDB and the local Health Vigilance Foundation, the project focuses on six municipalities with the largest number of malaria cases and will distribute around 100,000 mosquito nets.

The initiative also has an education component that teaches individuals how to prevent outbreaks of malaria. With the recent support of the U.S., the distribution of mosquito nets will be extended to other affected areas.