Muchos brotes pasan desapercibidos hasta que muchas personas de la misma comunidad se enferman gravemente. Ayudamos a las comunidades de todo el mundo a adquirir los conocimientos y las habilidades que necesitan para actuar antes de que esto suceda. Nos aseguramos de que tengan información básica sobre cómo detener la propagación de enfermedades, sistemas simples y efectivos para detectar brotes y mecanismos de comunicación para garantizar el intercambio oportuno de información con las autoridades sanitarias.

Nuestros 14 millones de personas voluntarias de la Cruz Roja y de la Media Luna Roja están presentes en prácticamente todas las comunidades del mundo y confían en ellas. La función auxiliar de las Sociedades Nacionales ante los gobiernos significa que estas personas voluntarias suelen ser fundamentales para la respuesta de emergencia a los brotes. Los estamos ayudando a desarrollar su capacidad de preparación y respuesta ante epidemias, incluida la capacitación de redes de voluntarios y voluntarias en la detección temprana y la respuesta temprana a los brotes para que puedan ser nuestros ojos y oídos en el terreno.

Las epidemias y pandemias no solo amenazan vidas. Amenazan todos los aspectos de la sociedad, incluida la producción de alimentos, el comercio, el transporte y la educación. Cuando los servicios y el empleo se interrumpen, las economías y los medios de vida se trastornan. Estamos participando activamente con el sector privado, los líderes religiosos, los medios de comunicación y muchas más partes interesadas, ayudándoles a desempeñar un papel valioso en la prevención, detección y apoyo a las comunidades durante los brotes.

The Community Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness Programme (CP3) was a multi-country programme, funded by USAID, which ran from 2018-2025. The programmesupported communities, National Societies and other partners to prevent, detect, and respond to disease threats. In doing so, we enabled them to play a significant role in preparing for future health risks and keeping communities healthy and safe.

CP3 supported communities to be the first line of defence against epidemics and pandemics by equipping them with the knowledge, behaviours, skills and tools to quickly detect and report disease outbreaks. 

The programme supported National Societies to strengthen their epidemic preparedness and response capacity through training, technical assistance, advocacy support and coordination.  

And through CP3 we engaged a wide range of stakeholders—governments, private sector, religious groups, media and more—because all parts of society have a role to play to keep people healthy and safe from epidemics and pandemics. 

Between 2018-2025, the CP3 programme was active in eight countries: Indonesia, Uganda, Cameroon, Kenya, Mali, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone and Guinea. In late 2024, CP3 expanded to a further six countries (Burundi, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Tajikistan, Thailand and Zambia)..We adapted the programme to each country’s health priorities, needs, risks and capacities. And we made sure it complemented and built on their existing emergency preparedness and response plans. 

You can watch a celebration of the CP3 programme here. And you can also read about what the programme achieved in this brochure.

Dengue fever is a viral disease spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, typically found in countries with tropical and subtropical climates. Symptoms include fever, headache, pains and a rash, and severe dengue can lead to death if not detected and treated quickly.   

Dengue is a rapidly escalating public health crisis around the world. It is hitting the Asia region particularly hard, due, in part, to a combination of climate change and urbanization.

In partnership with Takeda, a multinational pharmaceuticals company, IFRC launched the multi-year ‘United Against Dengue’ alliance in 2025 which aims to support local action to protect communities from this deadly disease.

Over three years, the United Against Dengue alliance aims to:

• Educate communities about dengue risks, symptoms, and prevention measures. Activities include community awareness campaigns, volunteer training using the Epidemic Control for Volunteers (ECV) toolkit, and hygiene promotion through community engagement. Enhanced surveillance systems and early action protocols will also be introduced to support early detection of, and response to, dengue outbreaks by National Societies.
• Advocate for sustained dengue prevention measures. This involves working closely with policymakers, medical societies, and community organizations to support the integration of dengue prevention, management, and control measures into national strategies.
• Support communities at high risk of dengue by responding to outbreaks and providing care and assistance to community members who fall sick.

Read this article to learn more about the launch of the United Against Dengue alliance.

And check out this comic book developed as part of dengue education efforts, which explains dengue risks in a simple and engaging way and encourages community action.