Posted on 6 June, 2011
Daily chart: deaths from AIDS. 25m people have died and another 34m are infected. Yet now the war on AIDS is going far better than anyone dared hope.
The Economist also notes in this blog post that, “…even more hopeful is a recent study which suggests that the drugs used to treat AIDS may also stop its transmission (see article). If that proves true, the drugs could achieve much of what a vaccine would.”
While HIV treatment protocols are improving to reduce deaths and illness, a lack of support from donors prevents many from implementing vital changes. Join us in calling on world leaders to treat AIDS and stop the virus. Take action here: http://on.fb.me/kUsJkG
MSF Frontline Report podcast, Ep. 90: Sudan: Thousands Displaced After Clashes in Abyei Region
May 23, 2011: People from Abyei region in Sudan fled from their homes following a surge of violence. MSF is concerned about the health of thousands of displaced people, most of whom are now living outside.
Sudan 2011 © Dana Krause/MSF
May 23, 2011: Elderly women took to the roads in Abyei region, Sudan, after violence displaced thousands from their homes. Most of them are now living outside and are especially vulnerable to medical problems, including malnutrition.
Sudan 2011 © Dana Krause/MSF
Since May 29—in one week—MSF has treated almost 2,000 patients in the capital, and we have also been asked to intervene in other areas in the interior of the country,
MSF head of mission, Romain Gitenet
The cholera epidemic in Haiti is far from over, with a sharp increase in cases seen in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and outbreaks reported elsewhere in the country, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said today.
…Immediately we went back after a few hours of evacuation for Agok - we went back and opened inpatient, outpatient, TB, maternity departments …MSF is only organization working today in Agok - all other NGOs … have evacuated.
Dekow Aban Bdashir, MSF’s Deputy Medical Coordinator in the contested Abyei area of Sudan. Thousands of people were displaced in the Abyei Region following severe clashes that were ignited on May 20.
Years ago, we would wait until the patient’s immune system would be very low to start treatment. And very often people were already very sick at that point. We know today that
it is much safer and makes much more sense to start treatment earlier before people get sick.
Nich Oucho, MSF Clinical Officer, Kenya
MSF is calling on world leaders to massively scale up HIV treatment at next weeks UN Summit on AIDS.
Learn more.
We know how to stop the vast majority of babies from acquiring the HIV virus. It’s easily done - these babies don’t need to get infected and it’s painful and frustrating to see children’s lives hit like this when they are just starting out in life and the problem is entirely preventable.
Dr. Marianne Gale, MSF pediatrician
MSF is calling on world leaders to massively scale up HIV treatment at next weeks UN Summit on AIDS.
Learn more
Charles Sako lives and works in Kibera, a deprived area of Kenya’s capital Nairobi. He, along with Catherine Atieno and Siama Musine, is HIV positive and receives treatment through MSF’s clinic in Kibera. Six years ago, they were all given disposable cameras for a week to document their lives on HIV treatment. From those photos, we created a project called ‘My Life with HIV’
Now, ahead of a UN Summit on HIV/AIDS this week in New York, we’ve been back to visit them and to hear how their lives have moved on. The latest scientific research shows that treating people with HIV/AIDS not only saves lives but also can prevent the virus from spreading. The full, busy and vibrant lives you’ll see portrayed here are the living proof of the benefits HIV treatment has brought to individuals, their families and wider communities.
Catherine Atieno lives and works in Kibera, a deprived area of Kenya’s capital Nairobi. She, along with Charles Sako and Siama Musine, is HIV positive and receives treatment through MSF’s clinic in Kibera. Six years ago, they were all given disposable cameras for a week to document their lives on HIV treatment. From those photos, we created a project called ‘My Life with HIV’
Now, ahead of a UN Summit on HIV/AIDS this week in New York, we’ve been back to visit them and to hear how their lives have moved on. The latest scientific research shows that treating people with HIV/AIDS not only saves lives but also can prevent the virus from spreading. The full, busy and vibrant lives you’ll see portrayed here are the living proof of the benefits HIV treatment has brought to individuals, their families and wider communities.
People in this area - they are from time to time exposed to this kind of threat so they are completely psychologically traumatized most of them, knowing that their sons, brothers … before have been killed or injured in this type of incident…
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One was a man who received a scalp bullet - an entry and exit point … and I had to do a whole resusitation without another assistant or anesthetist. And after struggling for few hours I managed to save this guy and I was really, really happy despite challenges I faced.
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