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It’s an unavoidable part of the year, full of used tissues, cups of tea, and daytime TV. Now that I’ve had my share of colds and the flu, I feel like I’ve learned my share – here’s the top five things I’ve learned about having the flu.

Spending time outside is a big part of many Canadians’ winters, but there is need for precautions to make sure everyone stays warm and avoids a cold-related emergency. What’s a cold-related emergency? When a person is exposed to cold temperatures it can cause their body temperature to decrease. 

Last weekend the Feast of the Nazarene was held in Manila. This annual religious gathering, which features one of the biggest processions in the country, saw close to 10 million people participating.  Our colleagues at the Philippine Red Cross were kept busy on the scene, where they had set up their emergency field hospital.

It is the time of year where we all dream of a warm escape from these cold climates. If you’re planning on making this a reality by vacationing south or going somewhere warmer from our Canadian winter, keep in mind these sun and water safety tips.

Like the rest of Haiti, the Jacmel community was left reeling after the January 12, 2010 earthquake devastated the country. This community of 40,000, capital of the Sud-Est department of Haiti, suffered significant damage to many buildings, including an estimated 70% of homes and the county hospital Saint Michel a Jacmel. Given that a strong and functional major health care facility is vitally important to both short-term and long-term recovery efforts, the reconstruction of Saint Michel Hospital was considered an essential task.

Even though I volunteer for Red Cross in Alberta when I am there, some might call me a fair weather friend these days and I’m fine with that.  After all, there is no snow to shovel in Panama this time of year and I can escape the Great White North to experience a completely different way of life and do more volunteering from Panama’s jungles.  

A former Iranian solider and long-time volunteer, Mahmood Jafari, now calls the Canadian Red Cross his family.

After leaving friends and relatives behind in 1997 to migrate to Calgary, his lonely transition was made easier after he met two former Red Cross staffers, Peter Worsley and Vince Bodnar, who encouraged him to volunteer. Although Mahmood suffered a serious injury in Iraq that left him in a wheelchair, he agreed Red Cross would be a good way to help others.

On December 29, 2015 Guinea became the latest country to be declared free of new Ebola cases! This announcement is an exciting milestone in beating the Ebola epidemic that began in March 2014.