The COVID-19 pandemic cannot be said to have gone unnoticed as it crashes around the globe. But in the places it has hit hardest, the virus has made its way silently into all corners of society’s fabric. And it has taken one of the heaviest tolls in residential homes for elderly people, who need a very special … Read more
MSF teams are racing to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in the more than 70 countries in which we run programmes, while opening projects in new countries as they become pandemic hotspots. Our COVID-19 response focuses on three main priorities: supporting health authorities to provide care for patients with COVID-19; protecting people who are vulnerable and at risk; … Read more
AMSTERDAM/NORTHEAST SYRIA — As the first reported death from COVID-19 is confirmed in northeast Syria, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is concerned about the region’s preparedness and capacity to respond to an outbreak. A weakened health system, delays in testing and border closures make it near-impossible to adequately respond to a COVID -19 outbreak in the region. Nine … Read more
AMSTERDAM – European governments must stop using the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to enforce deadly migration control policies and must immediately lift the obstacles preventing NGOs from saving lives at sea, says Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in an urgent call today. The plea follows grotesque scenes that played out in the Mediterreanean Sea over the Easter … Read more
Our expert teams are aiding the fight against the new coronavirus on four continents. This is MSF’s response in pictures. As an emergency medical organisation, we’ve been fighting disease outbreaks for nearly 50 years. Our battle against COVID-19 began like many of our epidemic responses: by sending medical supplies to the epicentre of the outbreak. More than three tonnes … Read more
After the first case of coronavirus disease COVID-19 was confirmed in Yemen today, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) are calling for the authorities in Yemen to urgently allow the entrance of supplies and humanitarian staff to the country in order to facilitate a response to the disease. “More personal protective equipment and testing capacity urgently needs to be … Read more
“We spent hundreds of rupees in private health clinics to trying to cure my tuberculosis, but none of the medication worked. The treatment included daily painful injections with lots of side-effects like vomiting, fatigue, loss of appetite… and sometimes even suicide,” says Rabiya, a 27-year-old woman with extremely-drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB). She is now a patient … Read more
New Delhi, India: As the number of people with COVID-19 continues to rise across India, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is supporting the Bihar State Government by providing crucially needed personal protective equipment for frontline healthcare workers. This includes N-95 masks, eye/face protection, gloves and high quality body protection. In addition, viral transport mediums used … Read more
With just over 1,000 deaths from COVID-19 recorded for a population of 11 million, Belgium is one of the countries hardest hit by the pandemic, coming close behind Italy and Spain. Despite Belgium’s highly developed health system, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has launched our largest-ever response in the country to support key areas, including infection control in hospitals, care for the … Read more
Cristian Reynders, field coordinator for MSF operations in northwest Syria, explains what the potential spread of COVID-19 would mean in Idlib and how MSF is preparing for it. Not so long ago, COVID-19 was not yet making headlines worldwide. On the TV news, you’d watch reports on various non-pandemic-related topics. Many of these concerned the … Read more