Overview
Overview
Social Initiatives
El Salvador
Help in fighting the dengue fever epidemic
In 2000 El Salvador was affected by a particularly severe dengue fever epidemic. At work here was primarily the life-threatening hemorrhagic variant of the disease, which ultimately claimed 32 lives — mostly children between the ages of five and eight.
At the request of the country's health ministry, therefore, Bayer strengthened its commitment by donating spare parts for the so-called thermospray pumps used to control the disease-transmitting mosquitoes. The spare parts were specially imported from Germany.
Dengue fever is a dangerous tropical disease that causes joint and muscle pain, fever and even internal bleeding in severe cases. In a worst-case scenario, the disease can be fatal. Dengue is widespread in many South and Central American countries, as well as in Asia. New cases are regularly reported in Central America, and especially in the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Guatemala.
Bayer's efforts in these countries are aimed in particular at containing the type of mosquito that transmits the disease, and the company has been conducting regular campaigns for several years with this goal in mind. Bayer volunteers have been spraying with special insecticides in urban locations where the risk of transmission is high and in areas where the Aedes aegypti mosquito species is common. These activities are part of Bayer's collaboration with the national health authorities to combat both the classical and the hemorrhagic forms of dengue fever. As part of this project, the insecticides and the spraying equipment and instruments are made available by Bayer free-of-charge.
At the request of the country's health ministry, therefore, Bayer strengthened its commitment by donating spare parts for the so-called thermospray pumps used to control the disease-transmitting mosquitoes. The spare parts were specially imported from Germany.
Dengue fever is a dangerous tropical disease that causes joint and muscle pain, fever and even internal bleeding in severe cases. In a worst-case scenario, the disease can be fatal. Dengue is widespread in many South and Central American countries, as well as in Asia. New cases are regularly reported in Central America, and especially in the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Guatemala.
Bayer's efforts in these countries are aimed in particular at containing the type of mosquito that transmits the disease, and the company has been conducting regular campaigns for several years with this goal in mind. Bayer volunteers have been spraying with special insecticides in urban locations where the risk of transmission is high and in areas where the Aedes aegypti mosquito species is common. These activities are part of Bayer's collaboration with the national health authorities to combat both the classical and the hemorrhagic forms of dengue fever. As part of this project, the insecticides and the spraying equipment and instruments are made available by Bayer free-of-charge.
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