8 young Japanese volunteers in Mexico to help fight new flu+

MEXICO CITY, Oct. 1 Kyodo -
An eight-member Japanese volunteer group is in Mexico, the epicenter of this
spring's outbreak of a new type of influenza, to help Mexicans take better
preventive measures against the flu.
On Wednesday, the eight young Japanese volunteer workers, who were sent by the
Japanese government's foreign assistance body, the Japan International
Cooperation Agency, attended a welcome ceremony at the Mexican Foreign Ministry
office.
They were the first Japanese volunteer workers sent abroad by JICA to fight
infections of the new H1N1 strain of influenza A, the Japanese Embassy in
Mexico City said.
The workers, called the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers, are scheduled to
work with local health officials at schools and public places in southern
Mexico's Chiapas and Tabasco states and call on people to wash hands regularly
as part of efforts to prevent another outbreak of the new flu.
They will continue their activities through mid-December. In November, six of
the eight volunteers will be succeeded by replacements.
Among the eight was Yayoi Arima, 29, who came from Atsugi, Kanagawa Prefecture,
near Tokyo, who said she plans to make original educational tools, such as
videos.
Shunsuke Kawano, 28, from Maebaru, Fukuoka Prefecture, on Kyushu, has
experience of helping with farming activities in Thailand as a volunteer, and
said he applied for the Mexican mission after learning through his experience
in Thailand that not only agriculture but health and sanitary affairs are also
important.
JICA regularly sends young and senior volunteer workers mainly to Asia-Pacific,
Middle Eastern, African and Latin American countries to provide technical
assistance.
In Mexico, the number of people who have been infected with the new flu stood
at 31,594 as of Tuesday, of whom 231 have died.
==Kyodo
2009-10-01 22:25:15