Brunswick, Georgia January 30, 2020 – MAP International, a Georgia-based nonprofit global health organization working in 98 countries, is partnering with The UPS Foundation to airlift 1.3 million respirator masks and 10,000 protective coveralls to hard-hit hospitals treating coronavirus patients in Wuhan, China.

UPS is donating critical aviation support for the shipment of 120 pallets to the Hubei Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention that is coordinating supply distribution to Wuhan-area hospitals.

“UPS and The UPS Foundation will provide help with critically needed air transport, and, we are honored to provide our support, along with our partners, to this important mission,” said Eduardo Martinez, President of The UPS Foundation and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. “As a member of the Pandemic Supply Chain Network (PSCN) and the Private Sector Roundtable (PSRT) for the Global Health Security Group on Pandemic Preparedness, The UPS Foundation is mobilizing the resources and transportation services needed to quickly get medical devices and equipment to healthcare workers in China.”

The coronavirus is spreading rapidly in China. More than 170 people have died, with nearly 8,000 cases reported, and millions more are under quarantine.  Additional cases have been reported in Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, France and Australia.  And in the United States, there are five reported cases with patients having recently returned from Wuhan, China.

The coronavirus outbreak is the fourth emergency which MAP has responded to in January alone.  As a result, the organization’s stock of respirators is running dangerously low.  MAP estimates that they will need to raise at least $100,000 to replace depleted supplies so that they are prepared when the next disaster strikes.

With the help of donors and partners, MAP is sending the following much needed items to China:

• 1,348,280 masks
• 10,758 protective suits
• 280,000 pairs of nitrile gloves

“We are grateful to our corporate partners UPS, Grandstream, 3M, The Bristol‐Myers Squibb Foundation, Cardinal Health, Wuhan United, and Henry Schein (Henry Schein provided us with masks in September that we pre‐positioned for emergency use), for helping us respond to the coronavirus outbreak,” said Steve Stirling, MAP President and CEO.

To donate to MAP’s future disaster relief efforts, visit give.map.org/disaster1

Original from: https://www.map.org/media