ReliefWeb

More than 2 million defined daily doses of medication shipped this week, including cardiovascular drugs, vitamins, personal care products, surgical supplies, PPE, and more.

Over the past seven days, Direct Relief has delivered 394 shipments of requested medical aid to 42 U.S. states and territories and nine countries worldwide.

The shipments contained 2.6 million defined daily doses of medication, including cardiovascular drugs, vitamins, personal care products, surgical supplies, PPE, and more.

The organization is tracking and responding to multiple emergencies across the globe and will continue to do so.

SUPPORTING PAKISTAN FLOODING RECOVERY

As Pakistan continues to recover from recent flooding, local hospitals and clinics are providing healthcare to those impacted. To support these efforts, Direct Relief delivered 55 tons worth of donated medications and supplies to Murshid Hospital, which hosted health camps in the region.

The donated medical assistance was provided by Abbott, and included critical aid such as glucose strips and meters, antibiotics, nutritional products, mosquito repellant, and more.

HURRICANE NICOLE

On Wednesday, Tropical Storm Nicole made landfall in the northwestern Bahamas, triggering evacuations and forcing residents into shelters. The storm then made landfall the following day on the eastern coast of Florida as a Category 1 hurricane. Tornado watches are in effect on Friday for parts of North Carolina, northeastern South Carolina, and Virginia.

Direct Relief has staged emergency medical supplies at four Florida sites in the projected storm path. Each emergency cache contains more than 210 medical items most needed in the wake of a hurricane, including trauma supplies, a range of antibiotics, syringes, basic first aid supplies, and medications to treat chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and severe allergic reactions.

EBOLA OUTBREAK IN UGANDA

In response to a recent Ebola outbreak in Uganda, Direct Relief is preparing to ship nine pallets of emergency medical items to the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Union (UNMU) is expected to arrive in the country next week. The shipment includes PPE and other requested items to protect frontline workers providing care across nine locations in the outbreak zone.

Direct Relief is also providing UNMU a $10,000 emergency grant for logistics and to bolster a community awareness campaign in coordination with the Uganda Ministry of Health.

TORNADO RESPONSE

Among the buildings destroyed by the deadly tornadoes spawning from a storm that stretched from Texas to Oklahoma was Kiamichi Family Medical Center, which serves 8,808 patients across southeast Oklahoma. In response, Direct Relief has committed an initial emergency operating grant of $50,000 to Kiamichi Family Medical Center and will continue to support their efforts to recover and rebuild.

FLU VACCINE CAMPAIGN

As the country experiences a sharp rise in influenza infections — with the CDC reporting 4,326 patients hospitalized due to influenza in the week ending Oct. 29 — seniors and other patients across Los Angeles County received free flu vaccines this weekend thanks to QueensCare Health Centers.

UKRAINE

Since February 24, Direct Relief has provided medical aid to Ukraine weighing more than 2.1 million pounds, or 1,038 tons, with more on the way.

This month, Direct Relief has provided critical emergency items to Ukraine including nutritional products, gastrointestinal drugs, insulin pens, and more.

OPERATIONAL SNAPSHOT

WORLDWIDE

This week, Direct Relief shipped 842,296 defined daily doses of medication outside the U.S.

Countries that received medical aid over the past week included:

Ukraine
Tanzania
India
Lebanon
Pakistan
Malawi
Ethiopia
Djibouti