As cases of Ebola virus disease dwindled to near zero in West Africa, the IFRC renewed its call for increased investment in early warning and response mechanisms. “Unfortunately, the threat has not passed and our focus now must be on strengthening capacity [in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone] to effectively identify and respond to future outbreaks,” said Alasan Senghore, the IFRC’s regional director for Africa. “Ebola illustrated the weakness of health systems in this region. Let’s not wait for another reminder.”
The Covid-19 pandemic is forcing a critical examination of how communities and countries prepare for multiple, overlapping crises. Here are a few lessons the Japanese Red Cross Society learned after the triple disaster of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear plant meltdown ten years ago this month.
In places where conflict or crisis means basic services are scarce, the use of data is saving lives. But protecting people’s physical well-being, experts say, is also about protecting their digital profile in cyberspace.
As a biologist who responds to emergencies for the Spanish Red Cross, Eva Turró has found her place in the humanitarian world, raising awareness about the life-saving link between health and hygiene in the wake of calamity.
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