Spain donates 35,000 euros to prevent spread of disease in Costa Rica

The Spanish International Cooperation Agency announced yesterday a 35,000-euro ($47,900) donation to help Costa Rica prevent the spread of illness in the Caribbean region after heavy flooding hit the area at the end of November and early December.

The donation will go via the Pan-American Health Organization to Costa Rica´s Public Health Ministry.

The Spanish agency said the funds will be used to “prevent problems such as dengue, malaria and pests, as well as ensure the quality of drinking water in homes and sanitary infrastructure,” according to a press release.

Spain joins such France, the United States and the Netherlands as donors following the latest flooding, which left one person dead, forced more than 5,000 people out of their homes and caused more than $75,000 in infrastructural damage, primarily in the Caribbean province of Limón.

France donated 50,000 euros (about $68,400) and the United States gave $50,000, and loaned helicopters for evacuation operations. The Dutch, meanwhile, have pledged engineering expertise in flood prevention.