More than 132.000 people will benefit from a program the Inter-American Development Bank, the Pan American Health Organization and the Sabin Institute signed with the State of Chiapas to combat some of the worst infectious diseases.
The Chiapas State Government will fight tropical diseases such as trachoma and helminthiasis with $312.000 donated by the institutions and their local counterpart. FEMSA Foundation has joined this effort and also donated $137.520 to the State of Chiapas.
The program will reduce morbidity and help raise the index of human development in the Southern-most state of Mexico. It will also ensure compliance with international commitments such as the elimination of onchocerciasis, trachoma and rabies transmitted by dogs, control of diseases such as Chagas disease and leishmaniasis and prevention of soil-transmitted helminthiasis. These diseases have a high social impact such as loss of employee productivity or social exclusion.
The agreement on the donation was signed on February 15, 2011. The first project under the initiative to combat tropical diseases will be held in the five trachoma-endemic municipalities of Chiapas: San Juan Cancuc, Oxchuc, Tenejapa, Huixtan and Chanal. This pilot project aims to show how comprehensive and well designed projects can achieve elimination and control of these diseases.
This first demonstration project will also receive additional resources from the state government to provide clean water and basic sanitation to municipalities. The program's objective is to demonstrate reproducibility in any Latin American country, which will positively impact human and social development in the region.
The agreement was signed by the state authorities of Chiapas, State Governor Lic. Juan Sabines Guerrero, the Health Secretary, Dr. James Gomez Montes, the IDB representative in Mexico, Mr. Ellis Juan, the Director of the Global Network to combat tropical diseases, Dr. Neeraj Mistry, the Director of FEMSA Foundation, Mr. Vidal Garza, and Dr. Humberto Montiel, representing the Pan American Health Organization. Being witnessed by Dr. Margarita Aguilar, PAHO representative in Chiapas.