Preparing for Events

In April 2009 an outbreak of human cases of H1N1 (swine) flu was discovered in North America and quickly spread to countries around the world. In June, the World Health Organization raised its flu alert level to Phase 6 – the highest level – indicating that a global pandemic was underway.

The mission of the American Red Cross is to help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. The Red Cross not only responds to tens of thousands of disasters each year, but also has responded to many public health emergencies in the past such as the influenza pandemic of 1918. Since the initial H1N1 outbreak in April, the American Red Cross has been helping individuals, families, schools, businesses and organizations prepare for and take action to reduce the spread of H1N1 influenza in their communities. Red Cross also continues to monitor the situation in coordination with federal and state officials, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Homeland Security.