Hospital leads swine flu prep
Ecuador (MNN) ? HCJB Global Hands Hospital Vozandes-Quito (HVQ) in Ecuador is leading Ecuador's preparations to fight the outbreak of swine flu.
Missionary Dr. Richard Douce is an infectious disease specialist and resident expert on influenza in Ecuador. Douce and Ecuadorian Dr. Wilson Chicaiza have been working with the U.S. Navy tropical medicine lab in Lima, Peru to track cases of influenza at HVQ for nine years.
HVQ also helped set up a tracking system at Hospital del Beneficiencia in Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest hospital. The data collected has enabled the two doctors to isolate two types of influenza -- good preparation for catching any cases of swine flu in Ecuador.
"The goal is to contain the illness to provide time for a vaccine to be introduced," Chicaiza explained. HVQ has ordered supplies of Tamiflu, an antiviral medication thought to fight the swine flu, and made preparations to provide masks for patients leaving the hospital. It plans to isolate any of its patients who may have swine flu.
The hospital performs a bedside test that allows it to determine the type of each patient's influenza in the space of only ten minutes. It also takes influenza cultures from patients and sends the cultures not only to the U.S. Navy laboratory in Lima, but also to the Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization.
"We've been thinking the world is ready for a flu pandemic, but we've been focusing on the avian flu," Douce said. He added that he has three reasons to be concerned about the recent outbreak of swine flu: the outbreak is not occurring during the regular flu season; it attacks young adults at a higher rate than usual; and the virus is spreading rapidly from one continent to another.
The swine flu spread to South America when it reached Peru last Wednesday and could reach Ecuador any day now. The virus resembles the 1918 flu virus that killed 40 million people. However, enhanced technology and preparations such as those being made in Quito should prevent a pandemic of those proportions.
Pray that the work at HPV will help spread the Gospel in Quito's medical community, among flu patients and their families, and even among international organizations and medical experts.
Contest Seeks to Find Best Voice, Hands for Jesus
- The Christian Post
- Jennifer Riley
An international media and healthcare ministry is sponsoring a contest to find some of the best project ideas on how to be the “voice” and “hands” of Jesus.
“We believe one of the ways God may be answering the prayers we have been encouraging since February is by giving His people new ideas and fresh enthusiasm for reaching both their neighbors and those around the world,” said Wayne Pederson, president of HCJB Global. “The Voice and Hands Contest is a way of collecting these ideas, celebrating what God is birthing in the minds and hearts of His people, and providing encouragement and seed money for the implementation of these God-given ideas.”
The Voice and Hands Contest is part of the “Me and My Household” initiative, which HCJB Global launched in February to challenge Americans to pray for their household, reach out to their communities through service projects, and pray for the unreached households in the world with the goal of strengthening faith and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.
The contest’s name was inspired by HCJB Global’s reputation as the “Voice and Hands” of Jesus around the world. The ministry both proclaims the Gospel through its radio stations and provides medical services to the poor in impoverished countries.
For the contest, submitted ministry projects have to have a “voice” component that declares Jesus is Christ and a “hands” component that demonstrates the love of Jesus in tangible ways. From the submissions, HCJB Global will select the top 10 best project ideas and award them each a $200 prize that can be used toward their outreach or short-term mission trip.
In addition to the prize money, the ministry will also provide a flip video camera to record their experience.
Contest entries are being accepted from April 20 to May 20.