Many outbreaks go unnoticed until lots of people in the same community become seriously ill. We’re helping communities around the world gain the knowledge and skills they need to take action before this happens. We’re making sure they have basic information on how to stop the spread of diseases, simple and effective systems to detect outbreaks, and communication mechanisms to ensure timely information sharing with health authorities.

Our millions of Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers are present in, and trusted by, virtually every community on earth. National Societies’ auxiliary role to governments means these volunteers are often central to the emergency response to outbreaks. We are helping them to build their epidemic preparedness and response capacity—including training networks of volunteers in early detection of, and early response to, outbreaks so they can be our eyes and ears on the ground.

Epidemics and pandemics don’t just threaten lives. They threaten all aspects of society, including food production, trade, transportation and education. When services and employment are disrupted, economies and livelihoods are turned upside down. We’re actively engaging with the private sector, religious leaders, the media and many more stakeholders—helping them play a valuable role in preventing, detecting and supporting communities during outbreaks.