BANGKOK, THAILAND — The United States Government announced nearly $2 million in funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to expand U.S. support for Thailand in response to the global spread of COVID-19.  This support builds upon ongoing USAID and other U.S. Government investments in health development, particularly those aimed at building the capacity to prevent, detect and respond to infectious diseases. Specifically, $700,000 will be implemented through the World Health Organization (WHO), $329,000 through the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and $800,000 through the Infectious Disease Detection and Surveillance (IDDS) project, which collectively contribute to the U.S. Government’s Global Health Security Strategy. 

“This new assistance is yet another example of the strong and enduring partnership between the United States and the Royal Thai Governments,” said U.S. Ambassador Michael George DeSombre. “Over more than 60 years of cooperation on health programs through USAID, the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medicinal Sciences and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States works with Thailand to safeguard the health of American, Thai and international communities."

On March 9, 2020, U.S. officials donated masks, gloves, goggles, and other essential PPE to authorities at the Thai Ministry of Public Health.

“More than two hundred years of friendship between Thailand and the United States is best demonstrated by actions rather than words,” said Dr. Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai, the Director General of the Department of Disease Control at Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health. “Our partnership in addressing COVID-19 reflects these two centuries of friendship.”

In addition to emergency assistance, the United States works in close partnership with the Royal Thai Government on a range of programs to combat infectious diseases in the region.  For example, USAID continues to build on more than a decade of support in the campaign against avian influenza, emerging infectious diseases, and through its Global Health Security program.

For more information about COVID-19, please visit: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

For more information about USAID’s response to COVID-19, please visit: https://www.usaid.gov/coronavirus

For more information about the Global Health Security Agenda, please visit: https://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/healthprotection/ghs/index.html