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Sierra Leone - Barriers to accessing health care 2022
Without adequate care, a child’s earliest years can be the most deadly in many low-resource countries.

The health risks for children are more severe the younger the child: as a global average, 85 per cent of childhood deaths occur in children less than five years old, but 47 per cent of those deaths are in the newborn period – the first 28 days of life.

Children under 15 years of age make up more than 60 per cent of patients in our projects, and many arrive in a critical condition or in the late stages of an illness. They are sick because they have not been adequately protected from disease or received appropriate treatment when they needed it. There are still many gaps in appropriate drugs, tools, protocols and staff for treating these young patients.

These are all factors why children under five in low- and middle-income countries continue to lose their lives to infectious diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria, and why newborns are failing to survive their first few days. This is also why older children face poor health long-term, if not death, due to chronic illnesses such as diabetes and epilepsy.

Quick facts about child health

Katiola program: Saving mothers and children’s life in Cote d’Ivoire

MSF Paediatric Days

paediatrics.msf.org

Paediatric Days is an event for paediatric field staff, policy makers and academics to exchange ideas, align efforts, inspire and share frontline research to advance urgent paediatric issues of direct concern for the humanitarian field. Paediatric Days focuses on paediatrics because in humanitarian settings, children are the most vulnerable group, with the highest risk of disease and mortality. Visit the Paediatric Days website to learn more.

Visit MSF Paediatric Days website
 
HIV/AIDS

Brendan Bannon blog - Day Five

Voices from the Field 28 Nov 2008
 
HIV/AIDS

Brendan Bannon blog - Day Four: Invisible Children

Voices from the Field 27 Nov 2008
 
Child health

Brendan Bannon blog - Day Three: Love Medicine

Voices from the Field 26 Nov 2008
 
HIV/AIDS

Brendan Bannon blog - Day Two: A Day of Stark Contrasts

Voices from the Field 25 Nov 2008
 
HIV/AIDS

Brendan Bannon Blog - Day One: Homa Bay

Voices from the Field 24 Nov 2008
 
Democratic Republic of Congo

In camps for displaced people in Kibati, just north of Goma, people are seeking refuge from recent fighting.

Voices from the Field 5 Nov 2008
 
Niger

French section of MSF forced to leave Niger

Press Release 30 Oct 2008
 
Niger

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is involved in other activities in Niger besides malnutrition.

Project Update 22 Oct 2008
 
Niger

MSF calls upon the President of Niger to lift the ban on its activities immediately

Project Update 21 Oct 2008
Advanced HIV management in Homa Bay
Medical Resource

MSF Field Research

We produce important research based on our field experience. So far, we have published articles in over 100 peer-reviewed journals. These articles have often changed clinical practice and have been used for humanitarian advocacy. All of these articles can be found on our dedicated Field Research website.

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