Toray Industries, Inc., announced that it has received words of gratitude from the National Health Security Agency of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Guinea for contributing to Collaboration Program for Personal Protective Clothing (coverall) for infection control that helped the nation bolster its measures against infectious diseases. Toray and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) launched that initiative in 2019, completing its mission in January this year.
Toray began conducting verification tests in Guinea in 2015 with its LIVMOA 5000 personal protective clothing, which offers exceptional safety and comfort of wearers working in the field public health. In 2017, the company donated 10,000 items of this clothing in response to a request from that nation’s Ministry of Health. The subsequent project was an international effort to draw on JICA’s Collaboration Program with the Private Sector for Disseminating Japanese Technologies, as a public-private partnership project funded by JICA to support strengthening capacity to control disease outbreaks in resource-limited setting, particularly in Guinea.
The Republic of Guinea has experienced limited recurrences of Ebola infections since suppressing outbreaks in 2016. Such other diseases as malaria, measles, yellow fever, meningitis, and Lassa fever have continued to occur. From 2020, the government added measures to prevent COVID-19 cases from spreading. The nation urgently needs to enhance the safety of medical and healthcare professionals and cut their workloads.
As well as providing LIVMOA 5000 garments through the project with JICA, Toray also contributed to Guinea’s infectious disease responsiveness and best practices by conducting lectures about risks in managing disorders and training healthcare workers in donning and doffing the garments.
LIVMOA 5000 incorporates Toray’s state-of-the-art fiber and film technologies to deliver advanced Class 6 blood anti-virus barrier protection. The fabric is moisture permeable, so temperatures and humidity inside the garment rise less than with conventional offerings in the same class, and can thus reduce heat stress on wearers. The unique design simplifies undressing and reduces noise from fabric rubbing against apparel. Toray is prepared to respond to assistance requests from the Republic of Guinea through international and domestic government agencies.