Between humanitarian crises and medical emergencies: all the latest news
Lebanon
Cholera: “Vaccination and access to clean water are essential”
Lebanon is battling its first outbreak of cholera in three decades. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) provides hygiene kits, vaccinations, oral rehydration points, in the Bekaa valley, north and northeast of the country areas with the highest number of confirmed cases in addition to medical care in two cholera treatment centers in Bekaa Valley.
Yemen
Five reasons why acute childhood malnutrition is surging in Yemen
Malnutrition is a persistent risk to children in Yemen. The country sees seasonal and annual peaks, usually linked to the lean season caused by the disruption of agricultural production in rural areas. This pattern was seen before the escalation of the war in late 2014, but it has worsened due to the direct and indirect effects of the ongoing conflict, which have exacerbated food insecurity for already vulnerable people.
Chad
N’Djamena floods deepen humanitarian crisis
Major floods have hit central and southern Chad since mid-August, with the latest floods affecting the capital, N’Djamena, where rivers have burst their banks and whole neighbourhoods have been left underwater.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
HIV/AIDS in the DRC: Behind the progress, huge challenges remain
While Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams in the Democratic republic of Congo (DRC) have been involved in HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention activities since the mid-1990s, the first MSF treatment centre opened its doors back in 2002 in Kinshasa.
Kiribati
Life on a coral atoll
Earlier this year Dr Darren Pezzack, an Australian advanced trainee emergency registrar, was part of the very first Médecins Sans Frontières’ team to work in the Pacific island nation of Kiribati.
Mediterranean Sea
Geo Barents: all 572 survivors disembarked
Tuesday 8 November , after 10 days at sea and three days of waiting at the Catania port, finally all survivors on board of the Geo Barents could touch land in a safe place, away from the violence and suffering they fled in Libya.
Climate justice for our patients
Just a few months ago, we were reporting from Nigeria, Niger and Chad on the most severe droughts in years. In the meantime, the situation has gone to the other extreme: these very countries are now affected by severe flooding. For the people, there is hardly a breather between one crisis and the next.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Violence in Mai-Ndombe and Kwilu provinces (DRC)
Following an outbreak of violence in the provinces of Mai-Ndombe and Kwilu in August, MSF head of mission Alessandra Giudiceandrea spent several weeks in the region as part of MSF’s emergency response. She describes her shock at witnessing the aftermath of the violence, her frustration at the difficulties of mobilising other humanitarian organisations, and her unease at the security-based approach to resolving this crisis.
Mediterranean Sea
Geo Barents, MSF: at sea for days, a safe port is now needed
Between the 27th and 29th of October, the Doctors Without Borders/MSF team on the Geo Barents performed seven rescue operations in international waters of the Maltese Search and Rescue region. 572 people have been rescued during such operations at sea. Among the survivors, there are three pregnant women, over 60 minors, many of them are unaccompanied and small children, the youngest being only 11-month-old.
Chad
Chad: chronic crisis for malnourished children in Adré
In early June, Chad’s government declared a malnutrition and food insecurity emergency. Médecins Sans Frontières teams treat children suffering from severe acute malnutrition in Adré, in Ouaddaï Region near the border with Sudan.