Washington, July 8 (RHC)-- More than 25,000 signatures have been collected as of Tuesday in the campaign launched in the United States to call for awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Cuban doctors of the Henry Reeve contingent.

According to the initiative's website, 25,495 people added their digital signature to the petition calling for the awarding of this prize to Cuban professionals 'in recognition of their magnificent solidarity and selflessness,' values that saved thousands of lives around the world.

The petition, officially presented in the United States on June 16th, points out that in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the doctors and nurses of the mentioned contingent 'have provided hope and inspiration to people all over the world.'

At the time the campaign was launched, health professionals from Cuba were already in more than 20 countries to help deal with the health emergency, and since then their presence has spread to more than 30 nations.

Figures like Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Rafael Correa, former presidents of Brazil and Ecuador, respectively; actors Danny Glover and Mark Ruffalo; writers Alice Walker and Nancy Morejón; linguist Noam Chomsky, and filmmakers Oliver Stone and Petra Costa, are among those who support the initiative.

The Henry Reeve International Contingent of Doctors for Disasters and Serious Epidemics is named after an American soldier who fought for Cuba during its first independence struggle, the Ten Years' War, the 1868 to 1878.

Founded in 2005 by the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, the group has already helped fight Ebola in Africa and reached out to nations shaken by powerful earthquakes such as Pakistan, Chile and Haiti. 

The campaign in the United States is part of an international action supported by more than 200 organizations and personalities.