Infectious diseases
The SRC works in Switzerland and other countries around the world to combat infectious diseases and epidemics. It carries out important work educating the population in partnership with the local Red Cross.
Challenges
Uneven progress
Our world has made major progress in the fight against infectious diseases in recent decades. But this progress is very uneven. Millions of people still do not have access to primary healthcare services. Poverty or the lack of facilities are to blame.
The coronavirus pandemic highlighted the inequality in access to vaccines around the world. Healthcare costs are a significant issue for millions of beneficiaries and push them even further into poverty.
Urbanization, climate change and large migrant numbers all contribute to the risks of infectious disease outbreaks.
Various
The Covid-19 health crisis reminded us all of how serious a pandemic can be. But other infectious diseases are also rampant: HIV/Aids, cholera, dengue, tuberculosis, malaria, Zika, Ebola and meningitis claim millions of lives every year.
In some countries, cholera is still a hazard for public health and an indicator of the lack of equality and insufficient social development. Malawi recently suffered its most deadly cholera outbreak in the past 20 years.
Poverty
Poor countries are not only the most exposed to certain diseases, they are also the places that suffer the most financially from the impact of these diseases. When people are sick, they cannot work. They cannot harvest their crops and lose their livelihoods. In the case of Covid-19, one lockdown after another and disruptions to work have plunged many people into precarity.
On top of that, over 2 billion people do not have access to clean water. And yet, clean drinking water is essential to good health. Washing one’s hands properly with clean water and soap is the best way to prevent the propagation of viruses and bacteria. It is an effective way to stem the spread of diseases like cholera, Covid-19 or diarrhoeal diseases
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Importance of information
Infectious diseases can generally be avoided and treated. People must be educated about how these diseases are transmitted, the availability of vaccines and treatment options.
Our goal
In Switzerland and other countries around the world, people need to know how to protect themselves from disease. When they do fall ill, they need to know what treatments are available. Access to healthcare must be guaranteed.
Red Cross volunteers are trained. They know how to run prevention and education campaigns. Under certain circumstances, they can support vaccination drives. They wear personal protective equipment.
The SRC supports UN Sustainable Development Goal 3 ’Good health and well-being’, so everyone can live healthy lives by 2030.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
UN global goals
What we do
The SRC works in Switzerland and around the world to combat infectious diseases and epidemics. It carries out important work educating people in partnership with the local Red Cross, as well as distributing supplies and deploying specialists.
Where we help
The SRC works in Switzerland and around the world to combat infectious diseases and epidemics.
Our project countries
World map.The Swiss Red Cross project countries are highlighted in red. Here is the full list: Bangladesh, Georgia, Haiti, Honduras, Laos, Nepal, South Sudan, Syria, Togo.