MDS Monitors Influenza A(H1N1) Outbreak

As World health officials have declared a public health emergency due to the recent cases of influenza A(H1N1), MDS is monitoring the situation in Canada and the U.S. As a pandemic would indeed be considered a disaster, MDS is working to determine our response, as it would be in partnership with local congregations and Anabaptist communities reaching out to those impacted. MDS is carefully evaluating its potential response while continuing to be watchful.

Mennonite Church Canada has pandemic information and resources for congregations on their website, churchpandemicresources.ca that MC Canada and MDS have worked at making available to constituents. Though there is content that is Canadian specific, most of the website is pertinent to people in both Canada and the US.

The site has news updates, link to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), and link on the upper toolbar for congregations, including a link to MDS’ guide for congregations preparing for disasters.

Janet Plenert, Executive Secretary of Mennonite Church Canada Witness, recently shared with the MDS binational board that she sees MDS as part of the church, by our own mission statement as a response of the churches to meet the needs of people in a time of disaster. MDS prepares and responds to vulnerable people, focusing on those who cannot traditionally recover. Our vision is not to wait until a disaster happens but to help train people to help with recovery efforts after a disaster, preparing ourselves to be ready to respond. Preparing for a pandemic flu is just another way of preparing for a disaster and the church is looking to MDS to help in a response.

We hope these tools are helpful to you and your constituents, and we would welcome working with you in helping prepare congregations for events such as these. MDS wants to be focused on preparation, not panic or paranoia, and we hope we can work with you to help keep constituents from having a spirit of fear, but one of being informed and prepared.