Leaders from more than 30 Red Cross and Red Crescent societies from all over the world are meeting in Paris today to discuss the current influenza outbreak and seek ways to better prepare and respond to the threat of a possible global pandemic. They are joined by representatives from partner organizations, including UN agencies. “This Paris meeting had been planned for weeks before the crisis started,” says Bekele Geleta, secretary general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
“It clearly shows we are deeply committed to pandemic preparedness. We recognize the urgency of the situation and we have started to take immediate action as advised by the World Health Organization. We believe it is too early to claim victory over the H1N1 virus and we must remain vigilant, especially in case the virus comes again in a few months with renewed strength. We will never be too much prepared to face such a threat. Our involvement is very much in line with the strong call we made to the international community on Monday in our ‘Declaration of Paris’ to build a true culture of prevention rather than relying only on emergency response,” he adds.
The IFRC and its worldwide membership are ideally placed to help mitigate and respond to a pandemic through the supporting role Red Cross and Red Crescent national societies play to their governments. This auxilliary role is reinforced by a network of nearly 100 million volunteers worldwide who can raise awareness and help prepare communities.
“Activities depend on the capacities within the national context in accordance with national plans,” explains Dr. Pierre Duplessis, IFRC special envoy for pandemic influenza. “They can range from an advisory role in health, community interventions, coordination of civil society partners, dissemination of public health messages, community mobilization, transporting patients to hospitals, to making sure essential services will continue to be delivered like blood banking and others. Their contribution is essential, especially in countries with overloaded or weak healthcare systems.”
Recent experience gained by the IFRC and its member Red Cross and Red Crescent societies will be brought to bear in tackling this new pandemic threat. “In particular, lessons learned from working with our National Societies to combat SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) between November 2002 and July 2003, and our ongoing preparedness programmes that tackle avian influenza, puts us in a well-placed position to make a significant and effective contribution with our partner governments, civil society and the UN system,” adds Dr. Duplessis.
Due to the potential threat that led the World Health Organization to raise its pandemic influenza level of alert from 3 to 5 in less than a week, the IFRC seeks extra funding through an emergency appeal that was launched last week for 5 million Swiss francs (4.4 million US dollars/3.3 million euro).