Worldwide Wednesday Thursday Wrap-Up

Eek, sorry guys. I was at a conference for the first couple days of this week, so my internal calendar has been thrown off. I didn’t realize yesterday was Wednesday until it was over.

So here it is, a day late – the Worldwide Wednesday Thursday Wrap-Up, in which we consolidate the international Red Cross and Red Crescent news into one list of bite-sized links for you…

[The place names link to maps so that you can get a quick idea of the region.]

SWINE FLU: Red Cross and Red Crescent societies throughout the world are stepping up activities to help prevent the spread of the H1N1 flu. Many – like the American Red Cross – are providing health information and working closely with government officials. 
The Italian Red Cross has activated two task forces specialized in the triage of passengers arriving at Italian airports. 
The Mexican Red Cross has trained volunteers to identify the symptoms, as they will be in the front line providing care. Mexican Red Crossers are also distributing 200,000 posters and 2 million leaflets to inform people about the flu.
ITALY: Some 750 Red Cross volunteers from all over Italy have been working in shifts since the earthquake occurred in L’Aquila, and an additional 2,500 are available to be deployed in the coming months.
IRAQ: The ICRC is still busy reintegrating disabled people into society, supporting physical rehabilitation centers, providing emergency assistance for explosion victims, improving water supplies and health care, clarifying what happened to missing people, visiting detainees, and spreading knowledge of international humanitarian law.
SRI LANKA: Thousands of civilians are still trapped and at risk.

HAITI: The Haitian Red Cross is fighting malaria in this cyclone-prone region with outreach, education and thousands of mosquito nets.

AFGHANISTAN: The Afghan Red Crescent Society is still helping people recover from flash flooding in Herat – providing medical assistance, tents, and other supplies to this area where 150 wells were destroyed and more than a thousand farm animals died.
PAKISTAN: The ICRC has opened a surgical hospital for weapon-wounded in North-West Pakistan.

GLOSSARY:
ICRC = International Committee of the Red Cross
IFRC = International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies