MedWorm.com provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest items from the 'MSF Blogs' source. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:22:15 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5633510&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2012%2F01%2F26%2Fdemocratic-republic-of-congo%2F Kinshasa – January 2011 Patrick and Selly examining Nadine (28), a patient at the Centre Hospitalier de Kabinda (CHK) in Kinshasa. The conditions surrounding access to care for people living with HIV/AIDS in DRC are horrific. At the Centre Hospitalier de Kabinda, MSF has observed an excessively high number of patients arriving with serious complications resulting from lack of treatment. Their advanced illness creates unacceptable suffering. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5633510 Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:21:11 +0100 5633510 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5633511&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2012%2F01%2F24%2Fsouth-sudan-8%2F Jonglei State, South Sudan – January 2012 Lekwongole, a village north of Pibor town where MSF runs a clinic, scarcely exists now. In the State of Jonglei in South Sudan, civilians continue to bear the brunt of inter-communal fighting. Wounded patients are still arriving at the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) hospital in Pibor, three weeks after the violent attack on the town and outlying villages in Pibor County. Many were injured in the bush, where thousands have remained, afraid to come out of hiding. MSF medical teams are now treating serious wound infections, some several weeks old. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5633511 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:15:57 +0100 5633511 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5623461&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2012%2F01%2F23%2Fhaiti-23%2F Port-au-Prince, Haiti – June 2011 Chantale (name changed) was assaulted and raped while walking in her neighborhood, not far from her house. She was attacked in a vacant lot on her way home. Her attackers were never arrested. She is portrayed here with her MSF psychologist. Sexual Violence in Haiti Sexual violence in Haiti is a true problem. Women are consistently made victims of sexual violence and they have little or no recourse either through their family or the law. Rapes, domestic violence are an accepted fact of life in the country and especially in the slums. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) offers psychological treatment and medical diagnoses to help treat the victims wounds. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5623461 Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:07:08 +0100 5623461 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5615098&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2012%2F01%2F19%2F1825%2F Dollo Ado, Ethiopia – October, 2011 In the “Kobe” medical center for severely malnourished children, Hawa Nur Ibrahim sits with her 3 year old son Ali Adan. Her daughter Legla (2 years ) died recently of severe illness and she fears the same could happen to her son. Admitted for more than ten days already, his body is still very fragile and he is still not able to drink or eat himself. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5615098 Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:21:02 +0100 5615098 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5590273&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2012%2F01%2F11%2Fphilippines-2%2F January 2012 After a recent typhoon caused severe, and in some cases fatal, flooding on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, a Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) team began providing emergency medical assistance to people whose houses were destroyed and who are now living in evacuation centres. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5590273 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:16:03 +0100 5590273 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5566653&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2012%2F01%2F03%2Famman-jordan%2F Khanda Faraj Mohammed, 27 years old, mother of three and pregnant with her fourth child was severely burned in a car bomb explosion while shopping in the market of Kirkuk. She is being treated in a program run by Medécins Sans Frontières (MSF) that cares for Iraqi victims of violence whose injuries can not be treated inside Iraq. The program is now beginning to receive patients from Yemen, Syria, Egypt and Libya in addition to Iraqis. Amman, Jordan. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5566653 Tue, 03 Jan 2012 12:58:44 +0100 5566653 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5642081&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3Dcb284b2c-f375-446c-a7a0-235fa5345fd0%26eId%3Db579f471-14e4-4279-aca6-ee8c15b56a4c TB DOC IN TAJIKISTAN Kartik Chandaria is an MSF doctor working in Tajikistan, specialising in treating children with tuberculosis Read his blog A DOCTOR IN EASTERN DRC (CONGO) Jennifer Turnbull is a pediatric emergency physician currently working for Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders in Mweso, in the North Kivu province of the Democratic [...] (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5642081 Sun, 11 Dec 2011 17:02:42 +0100 5642081 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5491087&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F12%2F09%2Fcentral-african-republic-4%2F The main hospital in Zemio, Central African Republic, where MSF nurses and doctors work. MSF started intervening in Zemio, CAR, in May 2010 after violent attacks in the area by the LRA in April, which led to the arrival of thousands of internally displaced people in the town of Zemio. The team offers IPD and OPD services at the main hospital in Zemio, and is running four health posts in the area. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5491087 Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:09:47 +0100 5491087 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5491088&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F12%2F08%2Fkenya-10%2F Somali refugees arrive in Ifo 2 camp after being moved by officials from the outskirts of Dagahaley camp. Dadaab, with roughly 400,000 refugees, is the largest refugee camp in the world. The camp is grossly over capacity, and the refugees experience an ever-shrinking access to essential services such as water, sanitation, food and shelter, also because they have been sharing their rations with the new arrivals. At the current pace of arrival MSF estimates that the camp’s population will total 500’000 before the end of 2011, and living conditions are only expected to deteriorate further. This week, world leaders will gather in Geneva to commemorate 60 years of the UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. Yet it is an anniversary that the world’s 15.1 million refugees ... MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5491088 Thu, 08 Dec 2011 11:24:13 +0100 5491088 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5481437&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F12%2F06%2Fafghanistan-8%2F A man rests at the side of his father’s hospital bed at the MSF trauma center in Kunduz, Afghanistan, November 28, 2011. The 55-bed MSF hospital opened in August, 2011 and provides urgent surgical care and follow-up treatment for people who have suffered life-threatening injuries. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5481437 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 14:34:42 +0100 5481437 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5463325&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F11%2F30%2Fzimbabwe-3%2F Vimbai playing “hop, skip and jump” with her siblings at home. Vimbai (15) is a patient enrolled in the MSF HIV/AIDS project in Epworth, an urban settlement adjacent to the capital Harare of Zimbabwe. “In 2007 I was very ill. I had rashes all over my body and my whole body ached. A week after I started medication I was already feeling much better. Now, I am anxious that my mother may send me to my grandmother in the countryside as we cannot afford my school anymore.” With 14.3 per cent prevalence rate (UNAIDS 2009), Zimbabwe is one of the countries worst affected by the worldwide HIV/AIDS epidemic. Since 2006, MSF has been running an HIV/AIDS project in Epworth. In August 2011, MSF had 12,864 patients under care in both of its clinics there. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5463325 Wed, 30 Nov 2011 12:15:00 +0100 5463325 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5435751&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F11%2F21%2Fdr-congo-8%2F Haut Uéle – July 2011 A female patient is waiting for her consultation in Dungu Hospital. She has a severe cut on her back. The eastern DRC context is still volatile, marked by shifting alliances between armed groups, ongoing military operations, instability, insecurity, banditry, and violence. Attacks against civilians and aid organisations are rising, making both the population and humanitarian aid workers increasingly vulnerable. Rape, murder, kidnapping, and random acts of violence are daily occurrences for millions of people. The ability of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to provide free and lifesaving healthcare is at times limited by this instability, which continues to push people from their homes. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5435751 Mon, 21 Nov 2011 10:38:07 +0100 5435751 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5426661&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F11%2F18%2Fsomalia-10%2F Jazeera, Mogadishu – August 2011 Inside an MSF inpatient therapeutic feeding center. Since July 2011, nearly 200,000 newly displaced people have arrived in Mogadishu from drought-affected central regions of Somalia. MSF has opened 4 ITFCs in the capital city to treat malnourished children and distribute ready-to-use therapeutic food to the IDPs. Measles vaccination is also undertaken to respond current epidemic outbreak. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5426661 Fri, 18 Nov 2011 10:01:47 +0100 5426661 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5414968&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F11%2F14%2Fdr-congo-7%2F Early morning in Mweso, North Kivu, where MSF is supporting the ‘Hopital General de Reference’. It is a 200-bed referral hospital. Services include Internal Medicine, Surgery, Neonatal, Intensive Care, Pediatrics, and Inpatient Nutrition (CNT: Centre Nutritionel Therapeutique). (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5414968 Mon, 14 Nov 2011 11:01:33 +0100 5414968 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5266447&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F09%2F28%2Fsomalia-9%2F Mogadishu – August 11, 2011 Mogadishu cathedral, in the old part of Mogadishu, which was the Italian and Indian district during the colonial period (until 1960). Between the pillars of this unroofed building, refugees who flee starvation find a shelter after several days of walking. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5266447 Wed, 28 Sep 2011 11:25:49 +0100 5266447 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5230781&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F09%2F19%2Fswaziland-2%2F An MSF team trekked for 1 hour to visit Philip. Philip has been sick for a long time and he cannot reach the closest health clinic. Swaziland is a rural country of many small, isolated villages. The cost of long and frequent journeys to health facilities is often prohibitive for patients, so MSF has developed a decentralised, community-based approach to care. People living in the community have been trained as HIV counsellors and to test for the disease. The aim is to increase the overall number of people being tested, so that more people with HIV can begin treatment earlier. By decentralising care, MSF hopes that fewer patients default from their treatment and, in general, patients’ state of health will improve. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5230781 Mon, 19 Sep 2011 13:37:09 +0100 5230781 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5230782&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F09%2F15%2Fsouth-sudan-7%2F Warrap State, South Sudan – June 18, 2011 Ajak Nhial used to live in Abyei town, an area contested by both North and South Sudan. She lost contact with her seven children during the first bombings by northern forces in Abyei town. When she heard her house had been bombed, she tried desperately to reach her neighbourhood but it was too dangerous and she was forced to flee the town. She doesn’t know if her children died or if they managed to escape the area as well. 100,000 people fled the Abyei area as a result of fighting between northern and southern forces. Ajak Nhial joined some relatives and 6,300 other exhausted people who sought refuge in Mayen Pajok and Juong Pajok – two villages in Akon, Warrap State. There was not enough food, shelter, or water to support both th... MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5230782 Thu, 15 Sep 2011 09:59:43 +0100 5230782 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5291173&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3D4d055900-1f4e-4b91-baf9-0393f0161a71%26eId%3D5dda7fa8-48dd-42e6-8129-21194289374f I learn that Christina has delivered from David the Lay Counsellor, who calls me to tell me so. The line is bad, and although I establish that she delivered at Ipusukilo rural health centre on 3rd June, that the baby … Continue reading → (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5291173 Tue, 13 Sep 2011 10:10:48 +0100 5291173 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5201615&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F09%2F08%2Fdr-congo-5%2F Niangara, DR Congo – June 2011 Francine, wife of 75-year-old Petron Boloyote, in the communal cooking area for patient’s caretakers at Niangara hospital. Her husband Petron has a severe testicular hernia and the MSF team gave the go-ahead that he should be referred from Nambia Health Centre to the hospital for surgery, but only if Francine could come to look after him while he’s in hospital. Francine gathered cooking utensils, some staple foodstuff and some cotton material to sleep under for the duration of their hospital stay. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5201615 Thu, 08 Sep 2011 07:20:49 +0100 5201615 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5201616&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F09%2F04%2Ftripoli-libya%2F August 31, 2011 800-1000 migrants and refugees are living amongst boats on an abandoned military base on the outskirts of Tripoli, where they have sought refuge in fear of harassment and violence. Many have been there for the duration of the conflict, been robbed of all identity papers, money and live in constant fear, without access to healthcare or security. MSF has provided medical consultations and assistance to the community, and are calling for their protection. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5201616 Mon, 05 Sep 2011 03:20:28 +0100 5201616 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5152892&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F08%2F23%2Fgalcayo-somalia-2%2F Galcayo South Hospital compound, Somalia, August 2011 Hibo Osman (20) with daughter Asho (8 months) from Galcayo. She has 5 children and was married off at an early age. Her daughter is now suffering from diarrhoea and is malnourished. She is sitting outside the tents of the therapeutic feeding centre. When Hibo was pregnant from her last child her husband was shot in a firefight. Hibo is supporting herself by selling second hand cloths on the market in Galcayo. She buys them wholesale on credit, and sells them to customers who pay her in weekly rates. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5152892 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 09:48:39 +0100 5152892 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5152893&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F08%2F19%2Fliben-ethiopia%2F Liben region, Ethiopia – July 26, 2011 After losing her entire livestock to the drought, 47-year-old Idimo Mohied walked for seven days with her youngest child. Having spent ten days in the pre-registration camp, she has been at the transit camp for over a week. She would like to be rehoused in a ‘normal’ camp as soon as possible. At present, her food rations are insufficient and she has nowhere to sleep. Idimo’s experience is typical of the 118,000 Somali refugees now seeking aid in camps in Ethiopia’s Liben region. Almost half arrived in the last two months, having fled drought and hunger, not to mention a war that has raged for two decades. The massive influx of refugees has overstretched the resources of the Liben camps, which were initially built to shelter 45,000 pe... MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5152893 Fri, 19 Aug 2011 09:21:14 +0100 5152893 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5291174&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3D466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe%26eId%3D499bd467-96d9-448e-929c-e9e6e84e75c3 Tukul Building in the TB Village. A few weeks ago, we had a team meeting and HR workshop about what we thought the potential bad and potential good things were about MSF here in Lankien. This project has been here (between emergency evacuations) for many years, and has become a real hub. We often deal [...] (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5291174 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:57:00 +0100 5291174 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5115091&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F08%2F10%2Fdadaab-kenya-4%2F A father sits with his malnourished child in the intensive therapeutic feeding center at the MSF hospital in the Dagahaley Refugee Camp in Dadaab, Kenya, July 26, 2011. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5115091 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 10:05:29 +0100 5115091 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5291175&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3Defa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81%26eId%3Ddbe49707-ee98-4a15-bd49-a5d27f9600df In just a few hours we will be cramming into the car and driving 2000km due north to the Yukon for 3 weeks of hiking in a tiny corner of Canada’s immense northern wilderness. 20kg of dehydrated food, 4 topographical maps for route finding and brand new neoprene socks for river crossings. Needless to say, [...] (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5291175 Tue, 09 Aug 2011 09:49:26 +0100 5291175 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5115092&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F08%2F08%2Fjilib-somalia%2F A Somalia mother in Jilib after receiving relief supplies from MSF teams. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins San Frontières (MSF) has distributed plastic sheeting, mosquito nets, and soap to more than 3,600 displaced Somalis who have found temporary shelter in the town of Jilib, in southern Somalia’s Lower Julba Valley. As a prolonged drought carries on, more and more families are leaving their homes and undertaking long, arduous journeys in hopes of finding relief and assistance. MSF was in a position to aid the families in Jilib because the organization runs a hospital and a large therapeutic feeding program for malnourished children in the nearby town of Marere. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5115092 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 10:04:17 +0100 5115092 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5291176&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3D466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe%26eId%3Dbf58d9ec-07ce-49d4-9cfb-86659c61e59f When a Cholera outbreak happens, everybody turns into a ‘WatSan’ officer, even the medics. But even under everyday circumstances, 70% of all of my activity has a ‘WatSan’ agenda. Water supply is our biggest issue. The stuff we can do is all in hand (preparation of pit Latrines, soakaways, etc) is arranged around a bag [...] (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5291176 Sat, 06 Aug 2011 12:06:43 +0100 5291176 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5371344&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.msf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3Dcb284b2c-f375-446c-a7a0-235fa5345fd0%26eId%3Db579f471-14e4-4279-aca6-ee8c15b56a4c A DOCTOR IN EASTERN DRC (CONGO) Jennifer Turnbull is a pediatric emergency physician currently working for Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders in Mweso, in the North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Read her blog MSF PHOTO BLOG Check out our most popular blog, the “MSF Photo Blog”, for images from [...] (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5371344 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 18:02:42 +0100 5371344 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5101539&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38795&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fblog%2F2011%2F08%2Fcurrent_bloggers%2F%3Futm_source%3Drss%26utm_medium%3Drss%26utm_campaign%3Dcurrent_bloggers A DOCTOR IN EASTERN DRC (CONGO) Jennifer Turnbull is a pediatric emergency physician currently working for Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders in Mweso, in the North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Read her blog TB&ME TB&ME is a blogging project launched by MSF to provide a platform for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients to share their experiences of being treated for this neglected disease. As MSF calls for better treatments and services for TB sufferers, TB&ME allows the patients themselves show where the priorities are. Read the TB&ME blogs RUPERT IN SUDAN Rupert Allan is in Southern Sudan where he is working on his first mission for MSF as a logistician. Originally from the UK, Rupert has spent most of his career working i... MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5101539 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 17:02:42 +0100 5101539 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5291177&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3D466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe%26eId%3D87e58213-dcc2-4a90-81fd-8644b28b4024 It’s Friday afternoon and Ajoy, visiting Water/Sanitation advisor, new to South Sudan, is shouting at Makuach, my right hand man, about ‘Behpar’. Ajoy is animated. He is an MSF ex-pat from India, with a strong West Bengali accent. I can’t understand him. He is in an authority position amongst my men. And he is shouting. [...] (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5291177 Wed, 03 Aug 2011 16:06:15 +0100 5291177 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5092444&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F08%2F02%2Fdadaab-kenya-3%2F Dadaab refugee camp, Kenya – July 22, 2011 Fatuma Badel fled Buale, Somalia with 8 children after leaving her sick husband. “he became sick and I couldn’t carry him. I don’t know if he is alive or dead. This one, my youngest was like a dead person when i arrived. Now I thank God I can hear him cry again.” She has been 3 days in the MSF hospital with her baby Mohamud who arrived severely malnourished. At nine months old he weighs 4.3 KG. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5092444 Tue, 02 Aug 2011 09:01:49 +0100 5092444 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5074737&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F07%2F29%2Fsouth-africa-9%2F Doornfontein, Johannesburg – July 2011 There are approximately 250,000 people living in slum buildings of inner-city Johannesburg. These migrants from Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa are without documentation, rights, or money. Inside these informal settlements unhygienic and overcrowded living conditions prevail. There is no sanitation or waste management, poor access to clean water, electricity and to basic health care. MSF is helping residents by providing primary health care, referrals to the public sector clinics, and providing materials for cleaning in some of these buildings. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5074737 Fri, 29 Jul 2011 10:35:16 +0100 5074737 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5067278&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F07%2F26%2Fdadaab-kenya-2%2F July 23, 2011 A young boy taking bone-thin cattle in search of pasture at the edge of Dadaab refugee camp in northern Kenya. Many recently arrived Somali refugees have lost all of their animals to the ravishing effects of a prolonged drought in Somalia. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5067278 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 10:12:01 +0100 5067278 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5060634&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F07%2F25%2Fcholera-in-dr-congo%2F Mbandaka, DR Congo – July 7, 2011 The plastic sheeting fence surrounding MSF’s CTC in Mbandaka has slits at regular intervals to slot it being blown down in strong gusts of wind. But these slits let curious passers-by look in to see what goes on inside the CTC. A cholera epidemic has spread more than 1,000km from Kisangani down the Congo river to the outskirts of Kinshasa, causing major outbreaks in several towns along the way including Bolobo in Bandundu Province and Mbandaka in Equateur Province where MSF’s Emergency Team (PUC – Pool d’Urgence Congo) has managed the medical aspects of the response. At the time of writing (18 July 2011) the CTC in Mbandaka is receiving around 20 patients a day and the PUC is evaluating the need for an emergency response in Ki... MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5060634 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 10:10:07 +0100 5060634 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5046203&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F07%2F20%2Fdadaab-kenya%2F A child has the circumference of his upper arm measured with a MUAC band by MSF health staff, at a health post in Dagahaley refugee camp, Dadaab, Kenya. The Dadaab refugee camp complex in northeastern Kenya consists of three camps: Ifo, Hagadera and Dagahaley. It constitutes the largest refugee camp in the world with more than 370,000 inhabitants, and it is beyond full. But, thousands of Somali refugees continue to arrive every day, fleeing the violent conflict in their home country and the devastating effects of the drought and lack of food. Between June 6 and July 6, approximately 40,000 people arrived in Dadaab in search of humanitarian assistance and safety. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5046203 Wed, 20 Jul 2011 09:08:24 +0100 5046203 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5015449&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F07%2F11%2Fmisrata-libya%2F July 9, 2011 Misrata children play behind a vendor of rebel merchandise. Following months of fierce conflict, parents and medical staff are concerned for the mental well-being of the children of Misrata. After a nearly three-month long siege, fighting has ended in the center of Misrata. The front line has pulled back to outside the city. However, while the situation has changed since the first Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) team arrived on April 18, bombing continues nearby, producing scores of victims. MSF has been present in Libya since February 25 and is presently expanding its assistance in the cities of Misrata, Benghazi, Zintan, in camps along the Libyan-Tunisian border, and on the Italian islands of Lampedusa and Sicily. MSF has offered to establish activities in pro-Gaddafi areas... MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5015449 Mon, 11 Jul 2011 13:01:51 +0100 5015449 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5015450&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F07%2F08%2Fnukus-uzbekistan%2F A hospital room for five male MDR-TB patients in a Nukus TB hospital. In current WHO statistics, Uzbekistan ranks 11th in terms of estimated number of annual MDR-TB patients per country worldwide. The WHO estimates that 8.700 new cases occur per year in Uzbekistan. For patients, suffering from drug resistant strains of the TB bacteria means an even longer, even more painful treatment than the already tedious TB sensitive regimen. In Karakalpakstan, an autonomous republic within Uzbekistan, MSF in collaboration with the Ministry of Health is treating patients with drug resistant forms of tuberculosis in Nukus and Chimbay. About 1,300 patients have been treated since the start of the program in 2003. In mid-2010, the project has been rolled out to include more districts in Karakalpakstan and... MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5015450 Fri, 08 Jul 2011 07:22:55 +0100 5015450 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5004395&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F07%2F07%2Fnairobi-kenya%2F MDR-TB section in Blue House Clinic, Mathare, Nairobi. Patients receiving treatment in Blue House, a clinic on the edge of Mathare, one of the Kenyan capital Nairobi’s more violent slums, where MSF treats people with TB and HIV. Drugs used to treat TB are from the 1950s and a course of treatment for uncomplicated TB takes six months. Poor treatment management and adherence has led to new strains of bacilli that are resistant to one or more anti-TB drug. Multi-drug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) is a serious form of this, identified when patients are resistant to the two most powerful first-line antibiotics. MSF has launched TB&ME: Real stories from people living with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Go to http://msf.me/mdrtb to find out more (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5004395 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 08:52:56 +0100 5004395 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5004396&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F07%2F06%2Fgalcayo-somalia%2F After developing sever pains in the right hand side of her chest, 35 year old Habibo was brought to the Tuberculosis ward at the MSF hospital in Galcayo south, Somalia, on March 20, 2011 by family members. The journey from Dure village took four hours on a dirt road. She has been undergoing treatment for two months and has four months left before she can return home. Habibo has five children, but they are too young to make the long journey to see her, so she has no choice but to fight the disease alone with the ever-present belief that soon she will embrace them again. MSF has launched TB&ME: Real stories from people living with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Go to http://msf.me/mdrtb to find out more (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5004396 Wed, 06 Jul 2011 07:55:43 +0100 5004396 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5004397&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F07%2F05%2Fcape-town-south-africa%2F XDR-TB survivor and peer counselor, Xoliswa Hermanus, inspects the family home of Jonas (right); a woman infected with extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB), HIV and diabetes. Khayelitsha township, near Cape Town, South Africa. MSF has launched TB&ME: Real stories from people living with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Go to http://msf.me/mdrtb to find out more (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5004397 Tue, 05 Jul 2011 06:47:24 +0100 5004397 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4996610&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F07%2F04%2Fmumbai-india%2F Roma Paryani- MSF Nurse- assisting an MDR TB patient at MSF’s clinic in Mumbai. Since February 2006, MSF has been running a clinic in the Khar district in North Mumbai, providing free comprehensive care and treatment for HIV patients. The clinic is focused on providing comprehensive care to HIV positive patients who have been excluded by the public health system due to social or clinical reasons. The clinic also offers treatment to patients that are co-infected with Hepatitis B or multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB). Support meetings providing psychosocial support are held regularly, featuring group activities, discussions and sharing of experiences. Special support groups are also held for children. MSF has launched TB&ME: Real stories from people living with multidrug-res... MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4996610 Mon, 04 Jul 2011 08:38:07 +0100 4996610 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4990114&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F06%2F30%2Fabubakar%2F Shousha Camp, Tunisia – June 2011 Abubakar, 51, Eritrea. The last few months were very bad. I arrived in the Shousha camp in April. The living conditions here are extremely difficult. We are suffering. I am a writer. I write poems, short stories and novels and I plan to write about life here in the camp. Some 3,000 Sub-Saharan Africans are stranded in camps at the Tunisian border with Libya. The majority remain in a deadlock situation as they cannot be repatriated due to the situation in their country of origin and face an uncertain future. Most have fled violence or repression in their own country in search for a better life. Many experienced detention in Libya and they are now stranded in Shousha, with no future in sight. This situation has repercussions on their mental health sta... MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4990114 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 10:44:31 +0100 4990114 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5291178&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3Defa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81%26eId%3Da41662b4-7975-43b4-a760-2865f1f0259a It kills me to have to write this blog. On a personal level, the whole reason why I am here is to chip away at my own ignorance and try to understand all the perceptions and misconceptions, realities and reasonings that make up this place that so kindly hosts me.   Both in my own mind [...] (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5291178 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 16:31:38 +0100 5291178 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4990111&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.msf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3Defa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81%26eId%3Da41662b4-7975-43b4-a760-2865f1f0259a It kills me to have to write this blog. On a personal level, the whole reason why I am here is to chip away at my own ignorance and try to understand all the perceptions and misconceptions, realities and reasonings that make up this place that so kindly hosts me.   Both in my own mind [...] (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4990111 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 16:31:38 +0100 4990111 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4973470&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F06%2F27%2Fjuong-pajok%2F village, South Sudan – June 18, 2011 Thousands of IPD’s (Internally Displaced People) who fled fighting in the contested border area of Abyei have sought refuge close to Juong Pajok village, Warrap State, South Sudan. Heavy clashes and bombing, in and around Abyei, between the northern SAF (Sudanese Armed Forces) and southern SPLA (Sudan People’s Liberation Army) erupted in mid May 2011, causing a massive exodus of an estimated 90,000 people towards the south. This group of displaced people first arrived on June 2, 2011, without access to food, clean water, shelter or healthcare. They tried to build basic shelters to shield themselves from the harsh sun with twigs and clothing. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4973470 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 09:44:59 +0100 4973470 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4966114&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F06%2F24%2Fcolombia-7%2F Buenaventura, Colombia – Old bridge providing access to houses built on piles. In the port city of Buenaventura, 250 houses built on piles in the Miramar neighborhood lacked running water because the water company, Hidropacífico, was not prepared to deliver water via an above-ground distribution system. With the high level of skin infections and gastric disease related to poor-quality water, in late 2009 MSF decided to launch a water and sanitation project. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4966114 Fri, 24 Jun 2011 11:54:34 +0100 4966114 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4966115&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F06%2F23%2Fsudan-9%2F Abyei town, Sudan – January 13, 2011 Midwife Demozi Gemeda from Ethiopia during a consultation with Regina 27 (left) who is in labor is monitored at the MSF Abyei outpatient department. MSF has been working in the Abyei region since 2006, providing primary healthcare services in Abyei town, including antenatal care and treatment for malnutrition. In 2010, the team provided 18,534 outpatient consultations. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4966115 Thu, 23 Jun 2011 11:11:19 +0100 4966115 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4950290&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F06%2F20%2Ftunisia-2%2F Shousha camp, May 2011 A recently arrived Oromo clan (Ethiopian ethnic group) are having a meeting. The war in Libya has forced more than 600 000 civilians – foreign workers, migrants and Libyans – to flee the country, mainly to Tunisia in the west and Egypt in the east, but also across the desert to Niger, Chad and beyond or across the Mediterranean to Lampedusa. Assistance to Libyan refugees in southern Tunisia is mainly provided by local communities out of solidarity, while a minority is assisted by the international community. Tataouine governorate alone is hosting around 60’000 Libyan refugees. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4950290 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 12:03:00 +0100 4950290 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4943271&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F06%2F17%2Fliberia-5%2F Soglay, Liberia – May 16, 2011 A baby sleeps under an improvised malaria net. Following the post-election violence and subsequent tension in Ivory Coast, more than a hundred thousand people fled to Liberia. The vast majority chose to stay with Liberian families and communities, particularly in Grand Gedeh and Nimba Counties. This photo was taken in Soglay, in Nimba County, where MSF runs a mobile clinic to reach the dispersed refugee population. Malaria is a key concern; numbers are rapidly rising due to the rainy season – with more than one third of consultations for malaria, including severe malaria leading to anaemia. MSF runs mobile clinics to more than 20 locations along the eastern border counties of Liberia to assist the refugees.. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4943271 Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:50:20 +0100 4943271 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4929934&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F06%2F15%2Fevros-greece%2F June 2011 A migrant kept in a border police station in the Evros region. Every year tens of thousands of asylum seekers and migrants arrive in Greece, one of the main entry points to Europe. Many of them have left unstable or war-torn countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq or are escaping persecution, human rights violations or extreme poverty. Once they arrive in Greece, irregular migrants and asylum seekers are systematically detained, often in overcrowded facilities. Sanitary conditions are usually very poor and health care is inadequate. Psychosocial support is lacking. Vulnerable groups, including unaccompanied minors and pregnant women, are also detained in degrading conditions. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4929934 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 09:50:18 +0100 4929934 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4918499&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F06%2F10%2Fliberia-4%2F May 14, 2011 Cutting trees in order to expand a refugee camp in Liberia. Over 100,000 people fled post-election violence in Ivory Coast. In places like Nimba county, Liberia the majority of refugees have not travelled to camps, but seek shelter with host families in dispersed villages near the border. Out of fear, many in Ivory Coast still remain in hiding in the bush in the border region. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4918499 Fri, 10 Jun 2011 08:10:02 +0100 4918499 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4909135&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F06%2F08%2Fmy-life-with-hiv%2F Nairobi, Kenya – May 23, 2011 Catherine lives with her family in Kibera, a deprived area of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. Catherine is HIV positive and is being treated at an MSF clinic in Kibera where she also works as a cleaner and a cook. Seven years ago, after she had started antiretroviral treatment, Catherine documented her life in pictures in a project called ‘My Life with HIV’. Now, in 2011, Catherine’s life is very full and she is a healthy and active individual, who in addition to her normal job, has started up a small sugar plantation up country to generate more money to educate her children. Watch a photo film with Catherine here (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4909135 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 14:17:46 +0100 4909135 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4909136&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F06%2F07%2Fhaiti-22%2F Port au Prince – May 2011 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. “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,” said MSF head of mission, Romain Gitenet. “Workload should be shared and coordinated in order to increase cholera treatment capacity in Haiti. Too many public facilities are still inadequate.” (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4909136 Tue, 07 Jun 2011 09:47:57 +0100 4909136 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4899858&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F06%2F03%2Ftunisia%2F Shousha camp, Tunisia – May 2011 Hundreds of thousands of refugees have passed through Shousha camp since the start of the Libyan conflict, but some 4,000 people – mainly sub-Saharan Africans – cannot be repatriated due to the situation in their country of origin and face an uncertain future. Since early March, MSF has been running a mental health programme for people who have fled the conflict in Libya, giving over 9,000 mental health consultations. Many people have had traumatic experiences, either witnessing or directly experiencing violence in the course of their escape from Libya. In addition, thousands of sub-Saharan African refugees are survivors of persecution and ill-treatment that took place in Libya prior to the conflict. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4899858 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 13:49:03 +0100 4899858 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4909129&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3D4d055900-1f4e-4b91-baf9-0393f0161a71%26eId%3D1a94078f-edaf-4da7-800f-63f6188092f8 We all agree that the dog looks like Tin Tin’s dog, but nobody can remember his name. There is silence while we rack our brains, and suddenly Agnès blurts out ‘MILOU!’ Yes. Milou. In English translations of Tin Tin, he’s … Continue reading → (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4909129 Thu, 02 Jun 2011 11:57:42 +0100 4909129 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4889938&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F06%2F01%2Fliberia-3%2F Togblayee, Liberia – May 13, 2011 Ange (13) fled from Beyouwee, Ivory Coast. “The fighters came in the morning. We heard shooting and screaming. We didn’t have time to take our belongings. In the chaos we lost each other. Thank God we found all family members later that day. We walked for a week. No food no nothing. We arrived in Togblayee one month ago. We can’t go back now. The jungle is too dangerous.” In the remote village of Togblayee in Gran Gedee County, Liberian inhabitants host refugees coming from Ivory Coast. Right now the refugees outnumber the Liberians and food becomes the main issue; there is simply not enough to share. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4889938 Wed, 01 Jun 2011 09:12:44 +0100 4889938 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4909130&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3D466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe%26eId%3D4556570d-357d-48fd-bd4b-5231023277d1 Who would have thought I’d be sitting around under the starry dome of South Sudan, learning the names and stories of the stars from Nuer Warriors in the quiet of the night? A more gentle and hapless bunch of guys you couldn’t invent, but in the ways of spear-fighting, bushlore, and cattle-defence, the MSF guards [...] (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4909130 Tue, 31 May 2011 12:19:48 +0100 4909130 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4859711&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F05%2F24%2Fitaly-4%2F Lampedusa, Italy – May 2011 Libyan immigrants coming by boat from Zanzour, Libya to the Italian island of Lampedusa on Friday May 13th, 2011. By Saturday morning over 1600 refugees had arrived on the island. The refugees come from all over Africa: Somalia, Eritrea, Nigeria… (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4859711 Tue, 24 May 2011 12:36:50 +0100 4859711 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4846343&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F05%2F20%2Fcentral-african-republic-3%2F Zemio, CAR – November 2010 A family that just arrived in the Zemio Hospital where MSF doctors and nurses are working. An upsurge in attacks by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in late April 2010 caused thousands of people to leave their homes and head to Zémio, a small rural town in the southeast of the Central African Republic. Since May 2010 MSF is running an outpatient and inpatient department and four health posts in the area, providing medical support to the displaced people, as well as to the host population. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4846343 Fri, 20 May 2011 12:43:34 +0100 4846343 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4846344&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38794&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fjamesm%2F2011%2F05%2Fmsf%25e2%2580%2599d%2F i am, and that’s the way it is. last saturday night, we stood in a puddle around stacked soda crates, a goat sizzling over coals beside us, when the three, buzzed-out speakers in the canteen started to play this song and the same dozen cast of characters that i share my hospital days and compound nights with drifted to the tent, and danced, grinning, mud between their bare toes. soon, it was only me and one of the departing three for whom the party was held leaning on the red cubes of coca-cola, and we agreed that there was no club in new york city that was better than this one, none where you could dance so sincerely, freed completely from the fear that there might be another, better way to spend your time. this afternoon, i tried to walk from my outpatient clinic to the ward, and was... MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4846344 Thu, 19 May 2011 08:48:47 +0100 4846344 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4826779&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F05%2F16%2Fsudan-8%2F Yambio, South Sudan – January 2011 A woman waits to see a doctor at a hospital run in partnership with Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), in the town of Yambio, southern Sudan. Yambio, a poor and isolated town near the borders of Central African Republic (CAR) and Congo, has had a history of conflict due to the presence of the shadowy paramilitary group the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) which has terrorized much of the population along the border regions of the three countries. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4826779 Mon, 16 May 2011 10:03:55 +0100 4826779 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4800872&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F05%2F09%2Fcongo-15%2F Lubutu, DR Congo – February 2011 Nurse Innocent Cigangu caring for a patient on the way back to Lubutu hospital in the MSF ambulance. MSF took over the running of Lubutu General Reference Hospital in Maniema Province, DRC in 2006. The aims were to reduce the extremely high mortality levels in this remote rural area and to share with the Ministry of Health and other interested parties MSF’s experiences of how best to reduce mortality in DRC when in full control of a hospital. The hospital is due to be handed back to the Ministry of Health in December 2011 after 5 years of MSF management. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4800872 Mon, 09 May 2011 12:08:25 +0100 4800872 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4837821&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3D466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe%26eId%3D56350869-a653-4d8c-abf5-f327b3212ba8 As I have mentioned before, our cargo plane days are quite a pleasure. There is always lots to do, but the Dornier planes that come are crazy old buses, and the pilots always old-school mavericks who have been on the Central/East Africa circuit for years. They have many stories to tell, but they don’t volunteer [...] (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4837821 Mon, 09 May 2011 09:53:15 +0100 4837821 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4837822&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3D466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe%26eId%3D1c65cd18-12c8-477b-ad4f-51383df8f958 One of my Carpenters, John Both, couldn’t be a keener or more friendly guy, but as I tried to explain how frustrating it was to try and get him to do what I wanted to a Lankien outsider, it became clear to me how much I am up against here. It has not been unknown [...] (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4837822 Tue, 03 May 2011 10:56:01 +0100 4837822 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4778837&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38794&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fjamesm%2F2011%2F05%2Frain%2F early last week, our logistician returned to the mission. he said that on his drive to dagahaley, he passed a truck, stuck, sunk, people pushing to and fro, while its wheels spit sand. he and the driver stopped to help, and as they were, a herd of camels passed. from it, one slumped to the ground, its hump sagging, starved for water. the owner beat it with a branch, but it wouldn’t get up. most times, people arrive here from somalia with nothing. either it is what they started with, or all that is left when they get to this place where camels can die. with time, they get a tent, and some food, a plastic jug. in the new arrivals area, yellow and red plastic canisters snake in a cue a hundred long as people wait for water. tonight, though, there’s no waiting. it’s everywhere. t... MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4778837 Tue, 03 May 2011 09:35:07 +0100 4778837 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4774145&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F05%2F02%2Fivory-coast%2F Abidjan, Ivory Coast – April 18th, 2011 A surgical team performs a c-section during a power cut in Abobo Sud Hospital in Abidjan. A week after the end of the military standoff in Abidjan, very few hospitals are open, and Abobo Sud has been handling thirty deliveries daily. MSF has been supporting Abobo Sud Hospital since the end of February. At the peak of post-election violence, MSF was treating 25-30 conflict-related wounded every day from mid-March to 11th April. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4774145 Mon, 02 May 2011 11:11:22 +0100 4774145 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4837823&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3Defa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81%26eId%3D62dc66ab-b873-4f45-b167-5bbdfd915d90 Well, enough about all the wonderful things that everyone else is doing here in Chad….let me tell you about all the wonderful things I have been doing lately. As you may recall, I am the Watsan for the mission – responsible for water, sanitation and hygiene.   Burning garbage, emptying latrines, surveying drainage paths, testing water [...] (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4837823 Fri, 29 Apr 2011 11:57:19 +0100 4837823 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4761650&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F04%2F28%2Fethiopia-5%2F West Imey, Ethiopia – October 2010 Cows drinking and people bathing while the ferry boat waits for the MSF team to cross the river before dark. On the West side of the Shebele river at dusk. It is not permitted to cross the river after dark. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4761650 Thu, 28 Apr 2011 10:16:54 +0100 4761650 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4751921&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F04%2F26%2Fitaly-3%2F Lampedusa, Italy – April 2011 On April 19th 2011, 760 migrants have arrived from Libya after travelling for three days on an old fishing boat. Among the passengers, MSF counted seven children, 63 women; one of them pregnant. The majority of the migrants are originally from sub-Saharan Africa. This is the biggest boat landing ever occurring in Lampedusa. An MSF team consisting of a medical doctor, a nurse, two cultural mediators, a logistician and a field coordinator performs medical triage in the harbour and distributes non food items and water to the newly arrived migrants. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4751921 Tue, 26 Apr 2011 10:06:30 +0100 4751921 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4740404&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F04%2F21%2Flibya%2F Misrata, Libya – April 2011 Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) evacuated 99 people, including 64 war-wounded and 35 accompanying persons, by boat from 15 to 16 April from Misrata to Zarzis, Tunisia. This operation took place two weeks after a first boat evacuation of 71 injured people. “For weeks now, health structures have been struggling to cope with the influx of patients. They have been lacking medical equipment and personnel to treat the wounded and the sick suffering from chronic diseases,” said Dr. Morten Rostrup, an MSF doctor who was on the boat. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4740404 Thu, 21 Apr 2011 10:05:27 +0100 4740404 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4837824&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3D9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2%26eId%3De68d8b8b-3ee7-4d09-90dd-cbb306090f47 My mission is now over and I write this from London, UK, where I’ve been fortunate enough to get a free bed and room as my old friend’s flat-mate is on holiday.  She returns tomorrow and I’m relegated back to the floor.  It’s been great to catch up on sleep, although I can’t shift the [...] (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4837824 Tue, 19 Apr 2011 10:00:28 +0100 4837824 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4837825&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3D466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe%26eId%3Dd0d50c1f-3a06-4f7b-b114-d71bff8e25aa I have just had my first support visit from our operational centre in Amsterdam, in the form of two Field Support Supervisors. After an amazing first leave, I came back to analysis and discussion of efficiency and effectiveness. This was followed by a short training at our Field HQ in Loki, where all the Logisticians [...] (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4837825 Mon, 18 Apr 2011 10:59:59 +0100 4837825 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4837826&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3D466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe%26eId%3D4cb3fd07-3e21-4f6d-bfa7-9ba6013ba68d There is a very strange phenomenon which happens in this part of the world. Everything in the Nuer culture relates to a certain investment. Love, Land, Water, Food, Sex, Mythology. It all comes back to the only certainty in life. The Cow. The Cow is everything. It is what buys you wives, gets you out [...] (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4837826 Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:17:10 +0100 4837826 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4718348&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.msf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3D466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe%26eId%3D4cb3fd07-3e21-4f6d-bfa7-9ba6013ba68d There is a very strange phenomenon which happens in this part of the world. Everything in the Nuer culture relates to a certain investment. Love, Land, Water, Food, Sex, Mythology. It all comes back to the only certainty in life. The Cow. The Cow is everything. It is what buys you wives, gets you out [...] (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4718348 Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:17:10 +0100 4718348 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4837827&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3D4d055900-1f4e-4b91-baf9-0393f0161a71%26eId%3D9bd999f0-648b-4851-b665-e99d526f9a3e On Wednesday 16th March, Christina is due for her next appointment at Ipusukilo rural health centre. I travel with our medical team, arriving before 9 o’clock, and scan the faces of the women who are already waiting. I can’t see Christina amongst them. I reason that since she lives close by, perhaps she’ll wait until [...] (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4837827 Fri, 15 Apr 2011 09:48:58 +0100 4837827 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4837828&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3D466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe%26eId%3D49536037-ed8e-40dd-b588-3dec5ab2b959 For anyone reading, my Blog entries may appear to have been thinning-out a bit recently. Computer access here has become severely restricted, and my own computer has now, quite literally, ‘bitten the dust’ of South Sudan. Nevertheless, there is an occasional opportunity to get to a ‘shared machine’, and so I write on tenterhooks. It [...] (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4837828 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 12:47:53 +0100 4837828 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4702236&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F04%2F12%2Fsomalia-8%2F Galcayo, Somalia – march 2011 Patients wait in the early hours of the morning to have their bandages taken off and their eyes checked the day after their eye surgery at the MSF hospital in Galcayo South, Somalia. If no complications have risen from the operation the previous day, they will go home to return in five weeks for a final check. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4702236 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 11:29:00 +0100 4702236 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4702237&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38794&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fjamesm%2F2011%2F04%2Fthe-great-battle%2F hey.  tomorrow night?  movie night?” someone asked. ”why not,” the surgeon answered, reclined on a mattress we’ve leaned up against a wall below the razor wire. “i’ve got nothing else on.” ”i can’t.  i’ve got tickets to a concert,” our nurse said. “i’ll try to come after.” we laughed, then more at the laughter. ”yeah, tomorrow i can’t either.  i’m having a dinner party.” ”i’m playing someone above me on the squash ladder.” “swimming lessons.” ”ice capades.” we faded to smiles, our shadows cast perfectly on the cement behind us by the harsh security light. it is not easy to write about this place.  it is not for a lack of opportunity, for after the work is done, hours of curfew yawn.  it’s not a matter of material; so many stories be... MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4702237 Mon, 11 Apr 2011 15:41:23 +0100 4702237 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4909131&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3Defa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81%26eId%3Db2b83f0f-6759-42aa-8691-e40899921e1a In our last mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, I wrote extensively about our fistula campaign. A vaginal fistula results from prolonged and obstructed labour, when the baby’s head pushes against the wall of the vagina for an extensive period of time, cutting off circulation to the tissue, which then dies. The resulting hole, [...] (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4909131 Mon, 11 Apr 2011 11:41:55 +0100 4909131 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4837829&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3Defa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81%26eId%3Db2b83f0f-6759-42aa-8691-e40899921e1a In our last mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, I wrote extensively about our fistula campaign. A vaginal fistula results from prolonged and obstructed labour, when the baby’s head pushes against the wall of the vagina for an extensive period of time, cutting off circulation to the tissue, which then dies. The resulting hole, [...] (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4837829 Mon, 11 Apr 2011 11:41:55 +0100 4837829 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4691130&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F04%2F06%2Fsudan-7%2F Abyei Administrative Area, Sudan – January 15, 2011 Childern play and swim on the banks of the River Kiir in the town of Madin Acheun. The town has an increased population as Southern Sudanese families have returned to Madin Acheun in Abyei Administrative Area from North Sudan under the returnee program. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4691130 Wed, 06 Apr 2011 10:54:15 +0100 4691130 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4691128&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.msf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3D9a3c1ec3-a5db-4bd6-888d-09f1bad7dbc2%26eId%3D4a9f2dc5-e33e-466a-a893-17ee6e88c7b2 Things have been busy. So busy, that I have neglected writing this blog. Since I last wrote, our team has dealt with Cholera in 3 of the 4 states we work in. The cholera happened during the flooding, so that presented us with a double emergency. Testing times… Extra international staff arrived and set up [...] (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4691128 Tue, 05 Apr 2011 22:31:11 +0100 4691128 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4680444&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38794&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fjamesm%2F2011%2F04%2Fnews%2F i’ve been away.  it was a place much like dagahaley.  the difference was, when i tired of the heat, or the sand, i would wade into water near as clear as air, and swim between schools of skipping fish that pattered its surface like rain. no rain here. before i left, i would ask the old men when.  “soon,  soon,” they would say. now, they shrug. perhaps another two years. and still they come. i returned yesterday, after two days of driving.  as we drew closer, i saw green fade to brown, women’s faces framed behind bright beautiful scarves and soon, we were swerving on sloping sand, fishtailing in the dust.  camels loped behind burnt trees, and between these, miles from each other, houses of rounded sticks. an impala stepped from the brush, sleek as glass. a youn... MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4680444 Tue, 05 Apr 2011 20:56:26 +0100 4680444 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4680442&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F04%2F05%2Fjapan%2F Minami Sanriku, Japan – March 24, 2011 Residents in an evacuation centre in Minami Sanriku. A team of six MSF Japanese psychologists have started working with the survivors of the massive earthquake and tsunami in northeast of the country. MSF sent a team to the area the day after the quake and tsunami flattened coastal areas in the northeast, and have continued to work in the area since then. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4680442 Tue, 05 Apr 2011 14:36:47 +0100 4680442 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4662279&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F03%2F31%2Fsudan-6%2F Aweil, South Sudan – January 2011 13 year old female patient Amon stays at maternity/ pediatrics department at MSF in Aweil. With almost 99 percent of the Southern Sudanese population voting for secession from North Sudan, the newest country of the world is expected to become officially independent in July 2011. But at such a pivotal time and amidst the hope for a better future, the humanitarian situation in Southern Sudan remains precarious at best. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4662279 Thu, 31 Mar 2011 11:55:01 +0100 4662279 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4680418&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3D4d055900-1f4e-4b91-baf9-0393f0161a71%26eId%3D5baa5e52-4fe7-4541-908d-ca67de55e892 I will call her Christina. We are almost the same age – she’s 31 and I’m 32. Beyond that, we don’t have much in common. Christina completed 7 years of schooling and is now a married woman with three children and another on the way; her family grows cassava, beans and groundnuts and rears chickens. [...] (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4680418 Wed, 30 Mar 2011 17:00:30 +0100 4680418 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4680419&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3D4d055900-1f4e-4b91-baf9-0393f0161a71%26eId%3D151ce9db-053d-4b8d-8898-2918c4c99451 Following a period spent in the UK and on mission with Merlin in Haiti after her MSF mission to Liberia, Emily is back working for MSF in Zambia. Her new blog Following Christina follows the progress of Christina, an MSF patient who has tested positive for HIV. Emily is working for MSF as a field [...] (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4680419 Wed, 30 Mar 2011 16:57:40 +0100 4680419 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4657248&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F03%2F30%2Fcongo-14%2F Lubumbashi – February 12, 2011 Children’s fingers are marked with purple ink after vaccination by MSF and MoH teams, Kitulizo school. Over the past six months a measles epidemic has been sweeping through the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is raising the alarm and calling for concerted action to halt the spread of the disease. “The measles epidemic is spiralling out of control,” said Gaël Hankenne, MSF head of Mission in the DRC. “Since September 2010, we have vaccinated more than 1.5 million children in response to the crisis, but the disease is spreading like wildfire. All parties involved in health in the DRC must now make this epidemic a national priority.” (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4657248 Wed, 30 Mar 2011 10:46:01 +0100 4657248 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4837830&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3Defa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81%26eId%3D936b93e2-ffd8-4bcf-a2e9-fcab64556757 On a 7 hour car ride straight north into the expanding reaches of the Sahel desert, I try in vain to snooze in the back seat.  Every now and then, I open my eyes to the marvels of a camel caravan as it crosses the sea of sand, methodically and purposefully.   Both the method and [...] (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4837830 Mon, 28 Mar 2011 15:24:24 +0100 4837830 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4680420&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3Defa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81%26eId%3D936b93e2-ffd8-4bcf-a2e9-fcab64556757 On a 7 hour car ride straight north into the expanding reaches of the Sahel desert, I try in vain to snooze in the back seat.  Every now and then, I open my eyes to the marvels of a camel caravan as it crosses the sea of sand, methodically and purposefully.   Both the method and [...] (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4680420 Mon, 28 Mar 2011 15:24:24 +0100 4680420 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4639766&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F03%2F28%2Fliberia-2%2F Froley village, Nimba County – March 2011 Martine, 72 years old, arrived in Frolay with her daughter one month ago. As she is too old to walk fast and for long, she spent three days on the road to reach border crossing point of Butuo. Her daughter who was with her only kid went faster and came back to look after her mother. When people from close villages crossed their home village of Souapleu on their way to the border, Martine and her daughter decided to follow them. Here in Liberia, they stay in the house of a Liberian relative. As the situation continues to deteriorate in Ivory Coast, tens of thousands Ivorian have fled their country and sought refuge in Liberia. The vast majority are staying with host families, scattered in more than 70 villages throughout the County. This situ... MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4639766 Mon, 28 Mar 2011 10:18:28 +0100 4639766 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4635088&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F03%2F25%2Fsomalia-7%2F Galcayo, Somalia – March 17, 2011 Mohamed Abdullai rests in his bed at the MSF hospital in Galcayo south. He originally comes from Goreole, south of the country but has been living in Galcayo for the last eight years. Family members informed him of the TB facilities at the hospital and so decided to get admitted developing severe coughing and tiredness. He has been tested positive for Tuberculosis three weeks ago. Due to his illness Mohamed had to abandon his jobs of selling bread and carrying goods for shopkeepers within town. It was the main source of income for his wife and eight months old daughter. But as much he misses his family he knows that due to the treatment he receives, he will be able to take care of them again in the not too far future. In the meantime, his wife visits... MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4635088 Fri, 25 Mar 2011 11:32:30 +0100 4635088 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4630064&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F03%2F24%2Fuzbekistan-3%2F Nukus, Uzbekistan – July 2010 A patient with advanced MDR-TB. She is too frail to play table tennis, as are most of her fellow patients at the hospital. In current WHO statistics, Uzbekistan ranks 11th in terms of estimated number of annual MDR-TB patients per country worldwide. The WHO estimates that 8.700 new cases occur per year in Uzbekistan. For patients, suffering from drug resistant strains of the TB bacteria means an even longer, even more painful treatment than the already tedious TB sensitive regimen. Because of the high costs and complexity of TB diagnostics and treatment, most high burden countries struggle to react properly to this immense challenge. In Karakalpakstan, an autonomous republic within Uzbekistan, MSF in collaboration with the Ministry of Health is treating ... MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4630064 Thu, 24 Mar 2011 11:38:38 +0100 4630064 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4625544&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F03%2F23%2Fkenya-9%2F Nairobi, Kenya – March 2011 A patient receiving treatment in Blue House, a clinic on the edge of Mathare, one of the Kenyan capital Nairobi’s more violent slums, where MSF treats people with TB and HIV. Drugs used to treat TB are from the 1950s and a course of treatment for uncomplicated TB takes six months. Poor treatment management and adherence has led to new strains of bacilli that are resistant to one or more anti-TB drug. Multi-drug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) is a serious form of this, identified when patients are resistant to the two most powerful first-line antibiotics. Treating DR-TB is complicated from a programmatic perspective: treatment is individualised, tailored according to which drugs a patient is resistant to. It is long and taxing, requiring people to take a cours... MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4625544 Wed, 23 Mar 2011 20:33:21 +0100 4625544 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4620363&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F03%2F22%2Fswaziland%2F Mhlabeni, Swaziland – March 1, 2011 Happiness, 31, is co-infected with HIV and muti-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). Here she lies in bed, at her home in the Mhlabeni area of Swaziland, before taking her daily MDR pills. Her daughter, Nokwenza, 4, must sleep with her grandmother in order to prevent infection. Besides her large amount of daily pills, she also receives a daily injection to treat her MDR. The treatment has harsh side effects and she sleeps most of the day, unable to help with many of the household chores. In this photofilm – http://vimeo.com/21194082 – Happiness Dlamini talks about her experiences of living with the treatment for drug-resistant TB. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4620363 Tue, 22 Mar 2011 09:54:28 +0100 4620363 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4614103&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F03%2F21%2Fsouth-africa-8%2F Cape Town, South Africa – March 2011 XDR-TB survivor and peer counselor, Xoliswa Hermanus, inspects the family home of Jonas (right); a woman infected with extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB), HIV and diabetes. Khayelitsha township, near Cape Town, South Africa. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4614103 Mon, 21 Mar 2011 10:18:04 +0100 4614103 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4680421&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3Defa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81%26eId%3D0be6b38b-887e-4f19-af8c-481f1327959b Guillaume is one of five Congolese expats currently working in our Chad program – two doctors, two nurses and our interim Medical Coordinator.  Like the Canadians, the Congolese easily outnumber any other nationality here.  Unlike the Canadians, however,  these stats results only because MSF has had a long, expansive history in the Democratic Republic of [...] (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4680421 Thu, 17 Mar 2011 12:27:44 +0100 4680421 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4680422&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3D466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe%26eId%3Df0265d44-75fb-4cbd-a96b-e883a8773f2b The end of today came about with, quite literally, a “buzz” of excitement. It was quite an event: a fire up a tree, with children and patients milling about, fascinated, whilst my Log guys got rid of the pest. Destroying the African bees nest had to be done once it was dark or, as Gatkoor [...] (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4680422 Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:28:25 +0100 4680422 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4599063&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F03%2F16%2Fliberia%2F Nimba District, Liberia – March 13, 2011 Tens of new refugees are reaching the village of Kparblee in Liberia, in the district of Nimba bordering Ivory Coast. This family just arrived from the city Toulepleu, where fighting erupted early March between pro-Outtara forces and the army loyal to disputed president Gbagbo. As the situation is deeply deteriorating in Ivocry Coast, they spent seven days in the bush, looking for places to sleep and for food. They didn’t want to go to Liberia too fast, hoping that the fighting would stop. They were exhausted when they reached the Liberian border. This family is currently staying in a school building of the village of Kparblee. They have relatives in the village, but will have to wait a few days before being able to go to their home. (So... MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4599063 Wed, 16 Mar 2011 10:26:44 +0100 4599063 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4573825&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38794&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fjamesm%2F2011%2F03%2Fall-along-the-water-tower%2F so little water.  it hasn’t rained here for two years.  we get ours from boreholes dug deep in the dirt, metres down where hidden lakes hover between layers of clay.  we bring them to the top, hold them in tanks, high in the air and let them fall, chlorinated, into our cups, onto our hot backs.  one of the tanks is down so that its platform might be rustproofed, and last evening, at dusk, i climbed it and  watched wind whip dust into tight swirling dervishes until there were ten at one time, scattered and spinning across the horizon. i sat there, smoking, and thinking about smoking, watching my breath trail away with the wind. i had started by having a cigarette only on saturdays. wednesdays and saturdays. and since fridays were pretty much little saturday, those too. now, at th... MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4573825 Thu, 10 Mar 2011 20:36:01 +0100 4573825 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4680423&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3D466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe%26eId%3D1187b281-d829-4b46-8e02-237ac4d33a37 This week started off rough. It is an emotional rollercoaster here, our project has a lot of visitors, and visitors always come from the capital with their own need to achieve interactive project results. Whether it be advising, assisting, or monitoring, it is always developmental, and always takes up our time. We have such limited [...] (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4680423 Wed, 09 Mar 2011 10:42:42 +0100 4680423 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4564494&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38794&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fjamesm%2F2011%2F03%2Fthis-is-where-the-people-come-out%2F yes.  even here. I have had a tough time sleeping lately, and by lately I mean the last few decades.  After a couple of years of success, things have worsened here, and i lie in front of a blowing fan blowing blowing sand, and watch circles’ seams twist into impossible scenes in the blackness behind my eyes. Yesterday, I passed by our maternity ward and saw a crowd of people pushing themselves in. I used a line privilege unavailable outside of Msf projects to cut the queue, and wedged through the wooden door to find several women sprawled on a concrete floor slick with chlorine.  34 women in the ward, labouring, and the staff hurried, harried, from one to the next then back.  A concerned group of elders came to the hospital later that day, worried about our capacity.  Keep s... MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4564494 Tue, 08 Mar 2011 19:06:07 +0100 4564494 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4680424&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3Db162d843-8a35-4452-bc15-9b6ccb150a25%26eId%3D959dec17-55c8-449d-87f5-f5385ccb5d45 I was truly surprised by the men of Karakalpakstan today! Lunch time in our office is one of my favourite parts of the day for me here. At one pm our cook shouts “Abyet/Lunch” and everyone pours down into the lunch hall where we feast on delicious plov with Kim-Chi, accompanied by one of the [...] (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4680424 Tue, 08 Mar 2011 16:13:48 +0100 4680424 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4558125&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F03%2F08%2Fcentral-african-republic-2%2F MSF’s fistula camp in Boguila – November 2010 Patients must drink large amounts of water before and after their surgery so that their urine is not concentrated. Approximately two million women in Africa have a fistula, which is a hole between the vagina and the bladder or rectum, through which urine or faeces leak continuously. Fistulas can be caused by prolonged obstructed labour and childbirth or sexual violence in addition to lack of medical facilities. Women with fistulas are often outcasts from their communities because of the smell associated with the leaking of urine/faeces, and in some cases they are abandoned by their husbands. Chances for women to have their fistula repaired are slim, as many hospitals or health clinics do not have the proper instruments or knowledg... MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4558125 Tue, 08 Mar 2011 10:09:26 +0100 4558125 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4680425&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3Defa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81%26eId%3D656159b0-ffde-464a-9b9e-39c133e84e8f Is it really International Women’s Day if you have to wear a skirt to participate?? (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4680425 Tue, 08 Mar 2011 08:54:34 +0100 4680425 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4551840&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38794&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fjamesm%2F2011%2F03%2Fzero-point%2F a black figure approaches on the horizon, jittering up and down with the car. it is a small boy and as we pass, he points at the blue jug on this forehead.  we slow, and my kenyan colleague in the passenger seat rolls down his window and tosses a litre of water from it.  it cartwheels in the dirt, and the boy races after it.  i look back, and he is holding it high, waving it in thanks.   we drive on, passing many more people with perched plastic buckets, but have no more water to share. i have left dagahaley, for two days, to the nearest town.  it is as hot, as dusty, but there are people, a broken pool, a room with air conditioning.  i am in it right now, and ive made it so cold that icicles dangle from my exhalations. my left foot, frozen, fell off when i hit it on the b... MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4551840 Sat, 05 Mar 2011 13:58:18 +0100 4551840 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4548542&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F03%2F04%2Fafghanistan-6%2F Helmand, Afghanistan – January 2011 Bibi, an 8 year old girl, lies on a stretcher waiting to be admitted to a ward, after being transferred from a military hospital, following treatment for shrapnel wounds, for post-operative care at Boost Hospital Lashkar Gah, Helmand, where MSF works alongside hospital staff to provide free medical care. After nearly ten years of war in Helmand, thousands of people are unable to access healthcare, having to travel long distances along dangerous roads to reach Boost, the only functioning referral hospital in the province. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4548542 Fri, 04 Mar 2011 12:20:50 +0100 4548542 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4543596&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F03%2F03%2Findia-8%2F Delhi, India – March 2, 2011 Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in Delhi once again on 2 March in protest over the planned Free Trade Agreement between India and the European Union (EU) which will restrict access to life-saving medicines. It’s the most recent in a series of public protests held in Asia, Europe and Africa against the proposed trade deal which could stop Indian generic companies from providing affordable generic medicines for people across the developing world. MSF is currently running a public campaign to tell the EU to back down on the deal. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4543596 Thu, 03 Mar 2011 15:25:16 +0100 4543596 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4680426&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3D466b3485-a1b0-4571-bcbf-44ef5861aafe%26eId%3Da3bea575-3dac-4f68-95f4-4d345f39f438 OK, I think we are all agreed here: the dry season is starting. For fun, we got the thermometer out today. 110 in the shade. Nevertheless, we are still cut-off from supply by – incredibly – water! Most of my time now is taken-up with water management. Whether it be trying to get my guards [...] (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4680426 Wed, 02 Mar 2011 13:12:54 +0100 4680426 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4680427&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3Defa72249-7703-46ac-a1f8-edd7c2d4ff81%26eId%3Dd15db78f-e128-4207-b743-c1aaa72733d4 The French word for midwife is “sage femme”, which translates literally as “wise woman”.  Nothing could better describe our sage femme here in the Am Timan, the expat supervisor for the maternity department. Born in Kenya in 1956, Marisa considers herself of the “post-colonial generation”, having witnessed both the triumphs and tragedies of successive post-independence [...] (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4680427 Tue, 01 Mar 2011 14:45:32 +0100 4680427 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4680428&cid=s_38795_46_f&fid=38783&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.org.uk%3A80%2Fblogentry.aspx%3FfId%3Db162d843-8a35-4452-bc15-9b6ccb150a25%26eId%3D374515aa-647c-45d4-b1ae-ff0b5556e55b The last few weeks have been very up and down. I’ve gone from feeling extremely frustrated to excited and motivated. I find it amazing how quickly the mood of the project can change. A series of frustrations crept up on me lately- it can be extremely difficult to find out what is happening here. It’s [...] (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4680428 Sat, 26 Feb 2011 08:55:30 +0100 4680428