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MSF medical staff are examining Mekuanent, a kala azar patient during the morning rounds at MSF’s Abdurafi health center specializing in treatment of Kala-azar and snakebite.
Among the young male population the prevalence of HIV infection is relatively high. That creates a unique situation with between 20 and 40% of kala azar patients HIV co-infected. This combination of two diseases, both severely immune suppressive, is almost impossible to cure.
MSF medical staff examine Mekuanent, a kala azar patient, during the morning rounds at MSF’s Abdurafi health centre specialising in the treatment of kala azar and snakebite. Ethiopia, June 2023.
© Amanuel Sileshi/MSF
Kala azar, or visceral leishmaniasis, is the second deadliest parasitic disease in the world – only malaria kills more people.

A neglected tropical disease, kala azar is caused by a parasite, spread to humans through the bite of infected female sand flies. It attacks the immune system and is almost always fatal if not treated.

Also known as visceral leishmaniasis, kala azar is the most serious form of leishmaniasis and is endemic in 76 countries, with hundreds of millions at risk of infection. There are between 50,000 and 90,000 new cases a year, about 90 per cent of which occur in Brazil, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan. Between 1989 and 2020, MSF teams treated nearly 150,000 people for kala azar; over a third in South Sudan.

Diagnosis and treatment of the disease, especially of the variety found in eastern Africa, can be complex and painful.

Podcasts sur les prises de parole publiques de MSF

La série des podcasts sur les « prises de parole publiques de MSF » est basée sur la collection des études de cas du même nom. À l’instar des études, elle examine les contraintes, questionnements, dilemmes et controverses concernant les prises de parole publiques auxquels Médecins Sans Frontières a été confrontée au cours de son histoire. 
Ceux-ci sont restitués à travers des extraits de documents d’archives et d'articles de presse. Des extraits d’entretiens avec les protagonistes de MSF éclairent également les analyses sur les positions prises à l’époque des événements. 

Tous les podcasts

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La série des podcasts sur les « prises de parole publiques de MSF » est basée sur la collection des études de cas du même nom. À l’instar des études, elle examine les contraintes, questionnements, dilemmes et controverses concernant les prises de parole publiques auxquels Médecins Sans Frontières a été confrontée au cours de son histoire.
Ceux-ci sont restitués à travers des extraits de documents d’archives et d'articles de presse. Des extraits d’entretiens avec les protagonistes de MSF éclairent également les analyses sur les positions prises à l’époque des événements.
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Speaking Out Podcasts

The MSF "Speaking Out" podcasts are adapted from the original Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Speaking Out Case Studies (SOCS). Like the case studies, the podcast examines the challenges and dilemmas surrounding speaking out. Each series offers an in-depth look into humanitarian dilemmas in a specific crisis through the narration of extracts from MSF documents and press archives to help establish the facts. Interviews with the main MSF protagonists at the time of the events also provide insight into, and personal analysis of, the positions adopted. 

All Podcasts

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The MSF "Speaking Out" podcasts are adapted from the original Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Speaking Out Case Studies (SOCS). Like the case studies, the podcast examines the challenges and dilemmas surrounding speaking out. Each series offers an in-depth look into humanitarian dilemmas in a specific crisis through the narration of extracts from MSF documents and press archives to help establish the facts. Interviews with the main MSF protagonists at the time of the events also provide insight into, and personal analysis of, the positions adopted.
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GEORGE ONDIJO IS A LAB TECHNICIAN AT NDIWAH HOSPITAL IN HOMA BAY COUNTY. HE IS IN CHARGE OF SPUTUM COLLECTION FOR TUBERCULOSIS DIAGNOSIS. THE USE OF MASK IS MANDATORY TO AVOID CONTAGION.
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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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