Posts tagged humanitarian

You’ll hear using the phrase “treatment is prevention” often this week as we report from the International AIDS Conference, so we thought we would explain what that means. Learn more about the profound implications of this scientific breakthrough.

You’ll hear using the phrase “treatment is prevention” often this week as we report from the International AIDS Conference, so we thought we would explain what that means.
Learn more about the profound implications of this scientific breakthrough.

Viral load monitoring tests the effectiveness of a patient’s HIV treatment. Because of high cost and tests that aren’t adapted to resource-limited settings, it’s not available to most people in developing countries. But for treatment as prevention to be successful, it must be a critical component of HIV programs. Learn more here.

Viral load monitoring tests the effectiveness of a patient’s HIV treatment. Because of high cost and tests that aren’t adapted to resource-limited settings, it’s not available to most people in developing countries. But for treatment as prevention to be successful, it must be a critical component of HIV programs.

Learn more here.

This week, we’re excited to be sending you updates from the 2012 International AIDS Conference in Washington DC. We’re kicking the conference off today with a satellite session on global innovation. This and other events will be webcast live at http://aids2012.msf.org/.

This week, we’re excited to be sending you updates from the 2012 International AIDS Conference in Washington DC.

We’re kicking the conference off today with a satellite session on global innovation. This and other events will be webcast live at http://aids2012.msf.org/.

Afghanistan: Treating Child Malnutrition in Helmand “She was vomiting and had diarrhea, and she kept losing weight,” says Mariam of her five-month-old granddaughter Nazia. “Her mother just didn’t have enough milk to feed her. We went to a private clinic but they couldn’t help us, and finally we drove here from our home district of Sangin. Nazia is feeling a little better now.” Nazia, who still has a distended belly and a clearly visible rib cage, is one of the patients in the MSF herapeutic feeding center in Boost hospital in Lashkargah, the capital of Afghanistan’s Helmand province. Boost hospital, where MSF has been working since 2009, is one of only two hospitals in all of southern Afghanistan. Helmand is one of the country’s most war-ravaged provinces, and has seen intense fighting over the past decades. It is home to a largely poor, rural population, even if there are signs of a growing middle class in Lashkargah. MSF opened its feeding center in December 2011 to tackle the chronic problem of malnutrition among children in Helmand. This specialized unit helps children on the verge of starvation gain weight through assisted feeding. Photo: An MSF staff member examines a child for malnutrition at Boost hospital. Afghanistan 2012 © Camille Gillardeau

Afghanistan: Treating Child Malnutrition in Helmand

“She was vomiting and had diarrhea, and she kept losing weight,” says Mariam of her five-month-old granddaughter Nazia. “Her mother just didn’t have enough milk to feed her. We went to a private clinic but they couldn’t help us, and finally we drove here from our home district of Sangin. Nazia is feeling a little better now.”

Nazia, who still has a distended belly and a clearly visible rib cage, is one of the patients in the MSF herapeutic feeding center in Boost hospital in Lashkargah, the capital of Afghanistan’s Helmand province.

Boost hospital, where MSF has been working since 2009, is one of only two hospitals in all of southern Afghanistan. Helmand is one of the country’s most war-ravaged provinces, and has seen intense fighting over the past decades. It is home to a largely poor, rural population, even if there are signs of a growing middle class in Lashkargah.

MSF opened its feeding center in December 2011 to tackle the chronic problem of malnutrition among children in Helmand. This specialized unit helps children on the verge of starvation gain weight through assisted feeding.

Photo: An MSF staff member examines a child for malnutrition at Boost hospital.

Afghanistan 2012 © Camille Gillardeau

Malnutrition in the Sahel: One Million Children Treated, But What’s Next?In this interview, MSF pediatrician Susan Shepherd and MSF nutrition specialist Stéphane Doyon Discuss the situation in the Sahel RegionOne million children suffering from severe malnutrition will be treated this year by governments and aid organizations across the Sahel. How should we interpret this number?Susan Shepherd: It’s both a failure and a success. The failure is that each year, countries within the Sahel will face recurrent, large-scale nutritional crises that are growing even worse in some countries. One million malnourished children—that’s an enormous figure. But the most important take away from this year is how all of the aid actors—governments, United Nations agencies, and NGOs—have managed the crisis. Because of this, the major success is that for the first time, one million malnourished children will be treated in the Sahel, and the vast majority of these one million children will recover.Stéphane Doyon: Prior to the 2005 nutrition crisis in Niger, malnourished children didn’t receive treatment and childhood malnutrition was virtually unrecognized. One million malnourished children receiving treatment doesn’t necessarily imply things are getting worse, but rather implies a major step forward in treatment. Improved malnutrition management results in large part from the political will summoned by the governments who wish to tackle this pathology. For the first time since the 2005 nutritional crisis in Niger, the most-affected countries have implemented ambitious response plans for treating malnourished children and establishing early preventive measures. Donors have committed to funding programs for therapeutic foods and nutritional supplements that are adapted to the needs of infants, even if all the funds have not yet been released.Read the rest of this interview here. Photo:A mother and her two-year-old await treatment at an MSF Inpatient Therapeutic Feeding Center in Niger. Niger March 2012 © Julie Remy

Malnutrition in the Sahel: One Million Children Treated, But What’s Next?

In this interview, MSF pediatrician Susan Shepherd and MSF nutrition specialist Stéphane Doyon Discuss the situation in the Sahel Region

One million children suffering from severe malnutrition will be treated this year by governments and aid organizations across the Sahel. How should we interpret this number?

Susan Shepherd: It’s both a failure and a success. The failure is that each year, countries within the Sahel will face recurrent, large-scale nutritional crises that are growing even worse in some countries. One million malnourished children—that’s an enormous figure. But the most important take away from this year is how all of the aid actors—governments, United Nations agencies, and NGOs—have managed the crisis. Because of this, the major success is that for the first time, one million malnourished children will be treated in the Sahel, and the vast majority of these one million children will recover.

Stéphane Doyon: Prior to the 2005 nutrition crisis in Niger, malnourished children didn’t receive treatment and childhood malnutrition was virtually unrecognized. One million malnourished children receiving treatment doesn’t necessarily imply things are getting worse, but rather implies a major step forward in treatment. Improved malnutrition management results in large part from the political will summoned by the governments who wish to tackle this pathology. For the first time since the 2005 nutritional crisis in Niger, the most-affected countries have implemented ambitious response plans for treating malnourished children and establishing early preventive measures. Donors have committed to funding programs for therapeutic foods and nutritional supplements that are adapted to the needs of infants, even if all the funds have not yet been released.

Read the rest of this interview here.

Photo:A mother and her two-year-old await treatment at an MSF Inpatient Therapeutic Feeding Center in Niger.

Niger March 2012 © Julie Remy

But then we hear a message on the radio. Rink, one of our star Water/Sanitation guys has gone up to K18 to check that the water supply can be reactivated. He’s discovered about 100 families that must have arrived in recent days from the border. He asks for medical support and Erna, our top medic that has been here since the start of this refugee crisis, from the initial discovery of weak, exhausted refugees that were beyond medical care to the erection of a clinic at K18 to the transfer of all refugees to T3 and finally Batil, grabs her kit and jumps in a car, cancelling the first day off she’s had in a month.
Ruby Siddiqui is an MSF epidemiologist currently working on the refugee crisis in South Sudan.

Read more about the situation on her blog.
The International AIDS Conference is the world’s most attended conference on HIV and AIDS. It’s happening next week, July 22 - 27, in Washington, D.C., and more than 40 members of our staff will be there highlighting the models of care, tools, and policies necessary to get the best treatment to the most people. Follow us for updates from the conference!

The International AIDS Conference is the world’s most attended conference on HIV and AIDS. It’s happening next week, July 22 - 27, in Washington, D.C., and more than 40 members of our staff will be there highlighting the models of care, tools, and policies necessary to get the best treatment to the most people.

Follow us for updates from the conference!

Mali: MSF Maintains its Presence in Timbuktu Since mid-April, an MSF team has been working in Timbuktu’s hospital, providing medical care for people living in a region destabilized by the conflict that has enveloped the country’s north and displaced thousands in recent months. For much of the time MSF has worked in the hospital, Timbuktu has been controlled by Tuareg rebels and armed Islamist groups, and much of the city’s population has fled either to other parts of Mali or neighboring countries. Tension has pervaded the city, nearby health centers have been pillaged, sporadic fighting has flared up among armed groups and, recently, sacred sites around the city have been destroyed. “Bringing aid to this destabilized region is a challenge, but it’s also a necessity,” explains Dr. Mego Terzian, MSF Emergency Desk Manager. “The instability impedes the access of humanitarians, and the north of Mali remains blocked to westerners. Nonetheless, because the situation remains volatile and could deteriorate at any time, we are maintaining our presence in Timbuktu’s hospital and in the surrounding villages.”Photo: An MSF staff member distributes emergency supplies in Aglal, Timbuktu area. Mali 2012 © Foura Sassou Madi/MSF

Mali: MSF Maintains its Presence in Timbuktu

Since mid-April, an MSF team has been working in Timbuktu’s hospital, providing medical care for people living in a region destabilized by the conflict that has enveloped the country’s north and displaced thousands in recent months.

For much of the time MSF has worked in the hospital, Timbuktu has been controlled by Tuareg rebels and armed Islamist groups, and much of the city’s population has fled either to other parts of Mali or neighboring countries. Tension has pervaded the city, nearby health centers have been pillaged, sporadic fighting has flared up among armed groups and, recently, sacred sites around the city have been destroyed.

“Bringing aid to this destabilized region is a challenge, but it’s also a necessity,” explains Dr. Mego Terzian, MSF Emergency Desk Manager. “The instability impedes the access of humanitarians, and the north of Mali remains blocked to westerners. Nonetheless, because the situation remains volatile and could deteriorate at any time, we are maintaining our presence in Timbuktu’s hospital and in the surrounding villages.”

Photo: An MSF staff member distributes emergency supplies in Aglal, Timbuktu area.
Mali 2012 © Foura Sassou Madi/MSF

This video, from the PBS Blog “The Rundown,” describes the plight of thousands of Sudanese refugees who fled violence in Blue Nile State only to face a humanitarian crisis in overcrowded camps in South Sudan.

Somalia: Responding to Diarrhea in Kismayo MSF is responding to increased cases of acute watery diarrhea among children and adults in the city of Kismayo in southern Somalia. More patients are being admitted every day. Acute watery diarrhea is highly infectious and can be deadly if not treated in time. Kismayo’s dense population means that a widespread outbreak could easily occur if urgent prevention measures are not taken. A rapid test among a sample of ten patients indicated that six tested positive for cholera. Of the 65 patients treated so far, 40 suffered severe dehydration and needed immediate hospitalization. The majority of the cases were children under the age of eight. The most effective way to prevent such outbreaks is chlorination of drinking water sources and adherence to basic hygienic measures. Unfortunately, the use of chlorine is not allowed in the Kismayo area, so MSF community health workers are advising people to strain water through clean cotton fabric and boil it before drinking it, in addition to regularly washing their hands with soap. Photo: Mothers and young children—who are especially vulnerable to diarrhea—wait to be seen in an MSF facility. Somalia 2011 © Peter Casaer

Somalia: Responding to Diarrhea in Kismayo

MSF is responding to increased cases of acute watery diarrhea among children and adults in the city of Kismayo in southern Somalia. More patients are being admitted every day. Acute watery diarrhea is highly infectious and can be deadly if not treated in time. Kismayo’s dense population means that a widespread outbreak could easily occur if urgent prevention measures are not taken.

A rapid test among a sample of ten patients indicated that six tested positive for cholera. Of the 65 patients treated so far, 40 suffered severe dehydration and needed immediate hospitalization. The majority of the cases were children under the age of eight.

The most effective way to prevent such outbreaks is chlorination of drinking water sources and adherence to basic hygienic measures. Unfortunately, the use of chlorine is not allowed in the Kismayo area, so MSF community health workers are advising people to strain water through clean cotton fabric and boil it before drinking it, in addition to regularly washing their hands with soap.

Photo: Mothers and young children—who are especially vulnerable to diarrhea—wait to be seen in an MSF facility.

Somalia 2011 © Peter Casaer

As South Sudan marks the first anniversary of its independence on July 9, MSF teams are struggling to save lives in one of the most complicated and challenging refugee crises in its history. Having arrived with stories of violence, some 100,000 Sudanese refugees, many of them ill, have sought sanctuary in camps in Upper Nile State with inadequate resources and harsh living conditions. Here, we take a look at the year that led up to this emergency.Photo: South Sudan © Shannon Jensen

As South Sudan marks the first anniversary of its independence on July 9, MSF teams are struggling to save lives in one of the most complicated and challenging refugee crises in its history. Having arrived with stories of violence, some 100,000 Sudanese refugees, many of them ill, have sought sanctuary in camps in Upper Nile State with inadequate resources and harsh living conditions.

Here, we take a look at the year that led up to this emergency.

Photo: South Sudan © Shannon Jensen

Walking For Days To Escape Violence: One Refugee’s Crossing Into South Sudan

Amal is 28 years old and a mother of three. She and around 35,000 other refugees escaped violence in Sudan’s Blue Nile State by crossing the border into South Sudan in May and June. On June 12, Amal was brought to a MSF mobile clinic at a refugee transit site called ‘Kilometer 18’ in Upper Nile State. She was thin, weak and coughing, and she could barely walk. Amal was immediately examined, an IV drip was inserted into her arm, and she was transferred to MSF’s hospital in the Jamam refugee camp. MSF health staff suspect that she has tuberculosis and will start her on TB treatment soon. Amal weighs just 32 kilograms, or 80 pounds, and she is too weak to speak, so her cousin Hassan told her story on her behalf.

Doctor Erna Rijnierse talks to us from a new MSF transit camp clinic in Upper Nile State, South Sudan, where MSF is doing everything it can to identify and treat the sickest refugees before they are taken to a new camp in Batil.

Learn more about the situation in South Sudan.

Video shot June 28, 2012
© Corinne Baker/MSF

More than 100,000 refugees are struggling to survive in South Sudan, where infrastructure, health care resources, and water capacity are extremely limited. Doctors Without Borders is providing assistance in the area and urging other agencies to step up their response to the crisis. (Photo: 2012 © Shannon Jensen)

More than 100,000 refugees are struggling to survive in South Sudan, where infrastructure, health care resources, and water capacity are extremely limited. Doctors Without Borders is providing assistance in the area and urging other agencies to step up their response to the crisis.

(Photo: 2012 © Shannon Jensen)

Fighting Neglect: Sleeping Sickness

 Sleeping Sickness is a fatal and much neglected disease that plagues parts of Africa.

Learn more about sleeping sickness and other neglected diseases.