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About us

Who We Are

Learn about our mission, our charter and principles, and who we are.

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How we work

See what triggers an intervention and how supply and logistics allow our teams to respond quickly.

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How we're run

Discover our governance and what it means to be an association. Find a quick visual guide to our offices around the world.

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Reports and financials

Read through our annual financial and activity reports, and find out about where our funds come from and how they are spent.

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What we do

Médecins Sans Frontières brings medical humanitarian assistance to victims of conflict, natural disasters, epidemics or healthcare exclusion.

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Where we work

In more than 70 countries, Médecins Sans Frontières provides medical humanitarian assistance to save lives and ease the suffering of people in crisis situations.

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MSF Websites

A Global Network
Our offices around the world
Our offices around the world
Other Sites
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MSF Association

Our staff “own” and manage MSF, making sure that we stay true to our mission and principles, through the MSF Associations.

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Access Campaign

We set up the MSF Access Campaign in 1999 to push for access to, and the development of, life-saving and life-prolonging medicines, diagnostic tests and vaccines for people in our programmes and beyond.

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Patient blogs

Hear directly from the inspirational people we help as they talk about their experiences dealing with often neglected, life-threatening diseases.

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CRASH

Based in Paris, CRASH conducts and directs studies and analysis of MSF actions. They participate in internal training sessions and assessment missions in the field.

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UREPH

Based in Geneva, UREPH (or Research Unit) aims to improve the way MSF projects are implemented in the field and to participate in critical thinking on humanitarian and medical action.

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ARHP

Based in Barcelona, ARHP documents and reflects on the operational challenges and dilemmas faced by the MSF field teams.

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MSF Analysis

Based in Brussels, MSF Analysis intends to stimulate reflection and debate on humanitarian topics organised around the themes of migration, refugees, aid access, health policy and the environment in which aid operates.

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MSF Supply

This logistical and supply centre in Brussels provides storage of and delivers medical equipment, logistics and drugs for international purchases for MSF missions.

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MSF Logistique

This supply and logistics centre in Bordeaux, France, provides warehousing and delivery of medical equipment, logistics and drugs for international purchases for MSF missions.

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Amsterdam Procurement Unit

This logistical centre in Amsterdam purchases, tests, and stores equipment including vehicles, communications material, power supplies, water-processing facilities and nutritional supplements.

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Southern Africa Medical Unit

SAMU provides strategic, clinical and implementation support to various MSF projects with medical activities related to HIV and TB. This medical unit is based in Cape Town, South Africa.

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Brazilian Medical Unit

BRAMU specialises in neglected tropical diseases, such as dengue and Chagas, and other infectious diseases. This medical unit is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

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MSF Medical Guidelines

Our medical guidelines are based on scientific data collected from MSF’s experiences, the World Health Organization (WHO), other renowned international medical institutions, and medical and scientific journals.

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Manson Unit

The Manson Unit is a London, UK-based team of medical specialists who provide medical and technical support, and conduct research for MSF.

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Epicentre

Providing epidemiological expertise to underpin our operations, conducting research and training to support our goal of providing medical aid in areas where people are affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or excluded from health care.

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Evaluation Units

Evaluation Units have been established in Vienna, Stockholm, and Paris, assessing the potential and limitations of medical humanitarian action, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of our medical humanitarian work.

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LGBTQI+ Inclusion in Health Settings

MSF works with LGBTQI+ populations in many settings over the last 25-30 years. LGBTQI+ people face healthcare disparities with limited access to care and higher disease rates than the general population.

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LUXOR

The Luxembourg Operational Research (LuxOR) unit coordinates field research projects and operational research training, and provides support for documentation activities and routine data collection.

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MSF Academy for Healthcare

To upskill and provide training to locally-hired MSF staff in several countries, MSF has created the MSF Academy for Healthcare.

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Humanitarian Law

This Guide explains the terms, concepts, and rules of humanitarian law in accessible and reader-friendly alphabetical entries.

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MSF Paediatric Days

The MSF Paediatric Days is an event for paediatric field staff, policy makers and academia to exchange ideas, align efforts, inspire and share frontline research to advance urgent paediatric issues of direct concern for the humanitarian field.

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MSF Foundation

The MSF Foundation aims to create a fertile arena for logistics and medical knowledge-sharing to meet the needs of MSF and the humanitarian sector as a whole.

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DNDi

A collaborative, patients’ needs-driven, non-profit drug research and development organisation that is developing new treatments for neglected diseases, founded in 2003 by seven organisations from around the world.

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War in Gaza:: find out how we're responding
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123 Results For "leishmaniasis"
 
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Neglected diseases

Kala azar kills thousands each year

MSF has tested a new rapid diagnostic tool: a dipstick that reacts with antibodies against the kala-azar parasite found in a drop of a patient's blood. The test has been found to give a correct, positive outcome in 90 percent of infected patients. The dipstick is specially designed for use in areas lacking laboratories or hospitals. Project Update - 10 Nov 2006
 
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Ethiopia

Better access to treatment for Ethiopian kala azar patients

Up until now the bulk of the kala-azar patients were dependent on MSF or research institutions for medical care. MSF has treated more than 9,300 patients since the start of its kala-azar programmes in 1997. Project Update - 6 Mar 2006
 
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Tsunami

Use of tsunami funds

A summary of the use of tsunami funds Project Update - 20 Dec 2005
 
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Malaria

Two new malaria treatments available in 2006

First medicines developed by Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) will be easier to use and less expensive than current ACTs, but action is needed to make sure the treatments reach patients. Press Release - 13 Dec 2005
 
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Colombia

The ghost town in Colombia that steals your sleep

One of the area's long-time leaders, a key promoter of the community's return to Saiza five years after the massacre, admits that the first time he rediscovered sleep in this tormented town was in June 2005, when Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) established a permanent presence in the town. Project Update - 16 Aug 2005
 
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Ethiopia

Kala azar outbreak in Ethiopia as rainy season begins

A severe outbreak of kala azar, a rare and fatal disease, has struck the region of Amhara, northwest Ethiopia. In the small rural community of Bura (pop: 6,000) more than 150 people have died and over 230 infected persons have already been recorded. Project Update - 27 Jun 2005
 
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Tuberculosis

Global appeal for new treatments for neglected diseases is launched

Médecins Sans Frontières, other non-governmental organisations, scientists and a number of Nobel laureates around the world today joined the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative in a global appeal to focus research on developing new drugs, diagnostic tests and vaccines for diseases of the poor. Press Release - 8 Jun 2005
 
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HIV/AIDS

The gap is growing: More resources needed now for neglected diseases

The pipeline of drugs for neglected diseases is virtually empty. From 1975 to 1999 of the 1393 new drugs marketed only 13, or a mere one per cent, were for tropical diseases. This imbalance is unacceptable in the second millennium.New drugs for neglected diseases: From pipeline to patients in PDF format. Press Release - 11 Nov 2004
 
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Kala azar

Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi): matching needs and opportunities

Neglected diseases such as leishmaniasis, trypanosomiasis, Chagas disease and malaria have a devastating impact on the world's poor. Project Update - 2 Jul 2004
 
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Malaria

Malaria patients enter DNDi clinical trials

To ensure a balanced portfolio of drugs in the pipeline, DNDi mixes quick-fix with long-term projects. In the short term, DNDi is developing "fixed-dose" combinations (two drugs combined into one tablet) for uncomplicated malaria: artesunate/amodiaquine for use in Africa and artesunate/mefloquine for use in Asia and Latin America. Press Release - 2 Jul 2004
Cholera intervention in South Kivu
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

Independent medical humanitarian assistance

We provide medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare. Our teams are made up of tens of thousands of health professionals, logistic and administrative staff - most of them hired locally. Our actions are guided by medical ethics and the principles of independence and impartiality. We are a non-profit, self-governed, member-based organisation.

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