Henry Reeve Brigade

The International Contingent of Doctors Specialized in Disasters and Serious Epidemics "Henry Reeve" (Spanish: Contingente Internacional de médicos especializados en situaciones de desastre y graves epidemias "Henry Reeve"), better known as The Henry Reeve Brigade, is a Cuban group of medical professionals established in 2005 with the mission of international medical solidarity, deployed worldwide in major health crises. By mid 2020, the Brigade was active in 51 nations and territories.[1]

The first organised international experience of Cuban doctors was in Angola in 2005.[2] Later that year, Fidel Castro offered to send more than 1,500 medical professionals to help the people of the United States of America in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The offer was declined, and the newly formed contingent got the name The Henry Reeve brigade, commemorating the New York-born brigadier of Cuban Liberation Army in the Ten Years' War, Henry Reeve.

Since 2005, 28 groups from the Brigade carried out humanitarian missions in 22 countries, with almost 8,000 medical professionals fighting the effects of 16 floods, eight hurricanes, eight earthquakes, four epidemics including three teams that faced the West African Ebola virus epidemic. Examples of Brigade's missions include:

  • Guatemala (Hurricane Stan): 8 October 2005, 687 participants (600 doctors)
  • Bolivia (floods): 3 February - 22 May 2006, 602 participants (601 doctors)
  • Indonesia (earthquake): 16 May 2006, 135 participants (78 doctors)
  • Mexico (floods): 6 November - 26 December 2007, 54 participants (39 doctors)
  • China (2008 Sichuan earthquake): 23 May - 9 June 2008, 35 participants (18 doctors).

Other notable missions include 2005 Kashmir earthquake, 2010 Haiti Earthquake, 2010 Chile earthquake and 2014 Great Fire of Valparaíso.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 3,700 medics from the Brigade have supported health workers in 39 countries (from Jamaica to Italy and Angola to Indonesia) in their fight against the virus. Following these missions in 2020, the Brigade was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, and several petitions supporting the nomination gained worldwide traction.[3]

References
  1. "Misión Henry Reeve:: Fidel soldado de las ideas". www.fidelcastro.cu. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  2. Castro, Fidel; Ramonet, Ignacio (2006). Cien horas con Fidel (in Spanish). Oficina de Publicaciones del Consejo de Estado. ISBN 978-959-274-038-9. OCLC 164887098.
  3. Espinoza M., Gustavo. "El Nobel de la Paz para médicos cubanos: un coro de multitudes" (in Spanish). Prensa Latina. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
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