Global Fund Says World Mosquito Net Supplies Not Jeopardized
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria on Thursday denied reports that its suspension of all contracts with two major mosquito net suppliers found to have bribed Cambodian officials would cause a shortage in the worldwide supply of the critical malaria deterrent, but said it could lead to logistical challenges in net delivery. The Global Fund suspended all contracts worldwide with the suppliers, Swiss firm Vestergaard Frandsen and Sumitomo Chemical Singapore, after a two-and-a-half year probe into bribes they paid to Cambodian health officials to secure Global Fund-financed contracts. … The New York Times reported on Wednesday that the suspensions had stoked fears of a shortage in the supply of the 200 million nets that would be needed around the world to protect against malaria in 2014. The report says that Vestergaard and Sumitomo were the world’s two top producers of bed nets. Global Fund communications director Seth Faison said Thursday that a shortage would be avoided. “The global suspension of the two bed net suppliers will not prevent us and our partners from procuring and delivering the high number of nets needed in 2014,” he said. …
Zsombor Peter
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/global-fund-says-world-mosquito-net-supplies-not-jeopardized-47676/
