May 12th is International Nurses Day. Worldwide nurses play a vital role in health care, particularly in Africa. For the last two years the International Council of Nurses, or I-C-N and drug company Merck, also known as Merck Sharpe & Dohme outside the U.S., have teamed with publisher Elsevier to bring educational and reference materials to African nurses. I-C-N C-E-O Judith Oulton:

"Nurses are on the front lines, delivering more than three quarters of all primary health care in Africa. The I-C-N-Merck Mobile Library resources of up-to-date knowledge are in high demand in all settings. They are particularly needed in remote and rural areas where there is virtually no access to other resources."

Each library has more than 90 books on a range of health topics. Thom Yungana, President of the Zambian Nurses Association:

"And most of the nurses - you find that those that live in other areas - they may access books; in the library, but for those who are in rural, remote places of the country, it's quite difficult. So when we received the I-C-N and Merck Mobile Libraries, it became like a blessing to most of the rural places."

So far the libraries have reached 83 rural areas in nine countries.

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