Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, who is also the vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, has ordered an aid flight to transport much-needed cholera kits from the World Health Organisation's logistics hub in Dubai to Bangladesh to assist the country in combating an escalating cholera outbreak. Under the directives, the International Humanitarian City (IHC) in Dubai chartered an Emirates Sky Cargo aircraft to deliver 50.7 metric tons of cholera kits to Bangladesh, the UAE's official news agency WAM reported. The aircraft carrying the cholera kits provided by the World Health Organisation (WHO) from its IHC warehouses left Dubai International Airport on Monday for Dhaka. Giuseppe Saba, IHC CEO said: "This urgent aid flight to Bangladesh amidst the COVID-19 pandemic situation around the world reflects the generosity of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum and confirms Dubai's commitment to taking international humanitarian action to help communities most in need. We are very proud of the extraordinary efforts of the humanitarian community-based in Dubai to assist those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, and other emergencies." "We should not overlook infectious diseases such as cholera at this time when essential health services are overwhelmed by COVID-19. Millions of people in Bangladesh continue to be at risk of this endemic disease, and our mitigation efforts to control cholera outbreaks should continue," said Dr. Bardan Jung Rana, WHO Representative. Robert Blanchard from the WHO Logistics team in Dubai said: "In response to ongoing health needs in Bangladesh, the World Health Organisation is immediately deploying 50.7 metric tonnes of much-needed cholera kits from its logistics hub located within the International Humanitarian City in Dubai, UAE. The cholera supplies WHO is sending today to Bangladesh valued at $131,000 will reach 20,000 patients." He added: "Responding to health emergencies within a health emergency, the Government of the UAE, IHC, and Emirates SkyCargo have once again answered the call to support the World Health Organisation's global medical supply operations. It is worth noting that children under five have the highest incidence of cholera which represents nearly half of the mortality, where the fatality rate among children 1 to five years old is estimated to be more than 10 times that of adults. The rapid deployment of these life-saving medicines and medical supplies is vital to WHO's ongoing health emergency response efforts, particularly as we simultaneously respond to the tremendous demands associated with a global pandemic." — SG -
