Heart to Heart International will help prevent coronavirus spread in Marshall Islands

Workers at Lenexa, Kansas based, Heart to Heart International, are leaving Saturday for the Marshall Islands, which is more than 6,000 miles away in the Pacific Ocean, to prevent the spread of the coronavirus to the so far unaffected islands.

NEWS""it's likely that this viruswill cause apandemic"THE C-D-C SAYSAMERICANS SHOULDPREPARE FOR THESPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS.TONIGHT -- MORECONFIRMED CASESREPORTED IN THE U-S.AND AS FEARS GROWWORLDWIDE -- A GROUP INLENEXA IS PREPARING TOTRAVEL HUNDREDS OFMILES AWAY TO HELP.HEART TO HEARTWORKERS GOING TOMARSHALL ISLANDSCYNTHIA NEWSOME JOINSUS WITH THE STORY.CYNTHIA?HEART TO HEARTINTERNATIONAL WORKERSARE LEAVING THISSATURDAY AND THEY AREHEADINGTO THE MARSHALLISLANDS, RIGHT HERE INTHE MIDDLE OF THEPACIFIC OCEAN.SOUTH KOREA IS TO THENORTH AND WEST WHERETHERE ARE HUNDREDS OFCASES OF THE CORONAVIRUS AND 7 DEATHS.SO FAR THE MARHSALLISLANDS DO NOT HAVEONE SINGLE CASE OF THECORONA VIRUS...AND THEWORLD HEALTHORGANIZATIONWANTS TO KEEP IT THATWAY.HEART TO HEARTWORKERS ARE STARTINGTO PACK...THEY'RE MAKING SURETHEY HAVE EVERYTHINGTHEY NEED, TO PROTECTTHEMSELVES AND PEOPLELIVING ON THE MARSHALLISLANDS.Joan Kelly, Team Lead, Heart toHeart Intl.We will bring masks that aremedical grade specific forinfection prevention control,gloves so on and so forthJOAN IS ONE OF 9 HEARTTO HEART WORKERS INKANSAS CITY GOING TOTHE ISLANDS.7:49:03We're lucky enough to bedeploying with fellows fromJohns Hopkins the head of alevel 4 bio security lab inCanada..so really a dreamteam of expertsUNLIKE CHINA, SOUTHKOREA AND ITALY.

THEMARSHALL ISLANDS..ARECORONAVIRUS-FREE..THE WORLD HEALTHORGANIZATION ASKEDHEART TO HEART TO JOINFORCES WITH MEDICALTEAMS ALREADY THERESETTING UP PROCEDURESAND PROTOCALS TO KEEPTHE VULNERABLE ISLANDSSAFE.Dan Neal, VP Operations, HeartHeart Intl.It's a very small population50-thousand or so people inthe entire country and a veryfragile health system.

Not alot of health workers and a lotof health care needsHEART TO HEARTWORKERS HAVE A LONGHISTORY OF RESPONDINGTO WORLD HEALTHEMERGENCIES.WORKERS GOING TO THEMARSHALL ISLANDS SAIDTHEY KNOW THE DANGERS-- AND THEY STILL WANTTO GOJoan Kelly, Team Lead, Heart toHeart Intl.I've been doing this for about15 years and it's an excitingadventure everytime we go toa new place and a realopportunity for us to help anew group of people.DRIVEN BY THEIR HEARTSTO DO EVERYTHING INTHEIR POWER TO SAVETHE LIVES OF STRANGERSFROM A KILLER VIRUSTHE MARSHALL ISLANDSDON'T HAVE ANY CASES OFCORONAVIRUS.BUT THEY DO HAVE ANOUTBREAK OF DENGUEFEVER.IT'S A MOSQUITOE BORNVIRUS --HUNDREDS OFPEOPLE ARE SICK.HEART TO HEARTWORKERS WILL HELPHOSPITALS AND CLINICSTAKE CARE OF THOSEPATIENTSCYNTHIA NEWSOME 41ACTION NEWS.RIGHT NOW --THERE ARE 57 CONFIRMEDCASES OF CORONAVIRUSIN THE U-S...WHICH IS A HIGHERTOTAL THAN WHAT WASREPORTED YESTERDAY.OF THOSE CASES -- 40WERE PASSENGERSABOARD THE "DIAMONDPRINCESS" CRUISE SHIP.AND THE C-D-C KNOWS OFTWO INSTANCES OFPERSON-TO-