The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has appealed for five million Swiss Francs, or US$4.4 million. It says the money will be used to fight the H1N1 flu virus and will be allocated as necessary.

The organization says the role of the national societies and their volunteers is to inform the population and raise awareness among communities.

Pierre Duplessis, special envoy, IFRC, said, "The measures that will save the most number of lives, the measures that will be the most effective ones in the case of a pandemic are those directed towards communities, that are we call them simple, but they're not so simple, that will be community mobilization to make sure that quarantines are respected, and isolation of sick people will happen, that those sick people will voluntarily respect the quarantine, will stay in their house."

(CCTV.comMay 1, 2009)