DILI, 23 january 2024 (TATOLI) – In the last two years, Timor-Leste has registered 7,389 cases of dengue and 65 deaths. In order to combat this disease, the government, in partnership with the Chinese non-governmental organization, GX Foundation, launched a dengue prevention pilot project.
The pilot project is expected to be implemented within nine months.
To implement the project, the GX Foundation has provided equipment and supplies to the government, including 50,000 reagents, 500 mosquito nets, 2,600 anti-mosquito lamps, and 30,000 fly swatters, which will be distributed to the 360 medical facilities in the country.
GX Foundation president, Leung Chunying, said that this project marks an important start to a strong partnership between the organization and the Timorese government, adding that the project: “will not only further strengthen the friendship between the Chinese and Timorese people, but will also minimize the risks of dengue infection in the country.”
Prime Minister, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão thanked the GX Foundation for the rapid development of this pilot project to protect against dengue: “Of our many challenges in Timor-Leste, the mosquito may be one of the smallest, but it is also one of the most deadly.”
“I am very impressed with how quickly His Excellency Mr. Leung Chun-Ying, Chairman of the GX Foundation, and his team have developed this pilot program,” said Gusmão.
He said that although Timor-Leste has successfully eliminated malaria and there has been no record of local malaria transmission since 2018, dengue fever is circulating widely in the community and children are particularly vulnerable: “This holistic program will save lives.”
“We are very fortunate that the GX Foundation has chosen Timor-Leste as the first country to roll-out the whole dengue fever mitigation program after the component parts were tested in other partner countries,” said Prime Minister.
He stressed that the dengue fever pilot is further evidence of the strong bond of friendship between the People’s Republic of China and Timor-Leste.
In november 2023, Chun-Ying led a scoping visit to Timor-Leste to explore ways the GX Foundation could help Timor-Leste’s health system.
Journalist: Jose Belarmino de Sa
Editor: Filomeno Martins
