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This past weekend, trucks from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent stocked with humanitarian aid entered the old city of Homs. While these trucks were clearly marked with the protective red crescent, shots were fired, targeting the aid workers. The team was able to exit Homs safely although one of the truck drivers was injured.

Our friends from the American Red Cross created a fun video about keeping the flu at home this season. Check it out.

It seems as though everyone knows someone who has been affected by the flu this season. How prevalent is the flu this year? Well it all depends on where you live. This interactive FluWatch map by the Public Health Agency of Canada keeps track of flu activity across the country.

Over the last couple of months, Central African Republic civilians have been suffering due to the eruption of violence. The crisis has forced thousands to flee their homes, fearing for their families and lives. In Central African Republic, 80 per cent of health facilities are not working, many schools are closed, access to water and sanitation is more difficult and farming is in crisis.

Matt Hewett was among those who deployed to the Philippines in those early days of the emergency response after Typhoon Haiyan caused significant damage in the country. He’s an Information Services Manager with the Canadian Red Cross, which at first glance may not sound like a typical career path for a humanitarian worker. However, information management is critical when it comes to coordinating a large-scale response and ensuring the right aid is delivered to those who need it the most.

Five Canadian Red Cross medical personnel are being deployed to South Sudan to increase the International Committee of the Red Cross’ (ICRC) surgical capacity in communities recently affected by conflict in the region.

When disasters strike and the world rushes to help, emergency responders often feel the pressure to rebuild quickly, but building back better takes time. That’s why the Red Cross sent state-of-the-art emergency medical teams to Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake four years ago, and again months later when cholera broke out across the country. These shorter-term missions allowed us to provide life-saving care to families in need, while also taking the time to properly plan longer-term recovery projects to help communities not just return to their pre-earthquake lives, but to actually improve families’ lives for many years to come.

Volunteers are the life blood of the Canadian Red Cross. Volunteers help respond to both local and larger-scale emergencies and disasters including house fires and the effects of severe weather like floods or evacuations.

This week, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Peter Maurer went to South Sudan to assess how to assist people who are affected by the latest conflict.

Since the outbreak of violence in mid December, thousands have died or have been wounded, and tens of thousands of people have fled their homes fearing for their lives.