How pneumonia kills

Often pneumonia starts as a simple cold which goes down onto the chest. There, the virus causes inflammation of the lung tissue, and this allows any bacteria that are there to get past the local immune defences and set up a secondary infection. Project Update - 28 Sep 2000

Pneumonia

How MSF teams treat pneumonia patients

MSF nurses teach the mothers how to perform simple chest physiotherapy on their children. Project Update - 28 Sep 2000

Tuberculosis

How TB kills

It is estimated that up to one third of the world's population may be infected with the tubercule bacillus. Most of these people, however, do not have active TB. Their infection is latent, and may remain so for their whole life, not causing any symptoms. Project Update - 28 Sep 2000

Cholera

How cholera kills

The germ Vibrio cholerae is excreted by a sufferer in the stools and vomit. It can then be spread directly to other people if they touch the patient and then fail to wash their hands before eating. Project Update - 28 Sep 2000

Cholera

How MSF teams treat cholera patients

Cholera is eminently treatable. The main pathological process it causes is dehydration - thus the treatment we use is simply to replace all the fluid being lost. MSF treats many patients using oral rehydration solution, called ORS. This is a mixture of glucose and electrolytes (such as sodium and potassium) that comes in sachets. Project Update - 28 Sep 2000

Tuberculosis

How MSF teams treat TB patients

TB is difficult to treat. There is no single antibiotic that is capable of killing all the tubercle bacilli in a person's body. Apart from being hardy, TB germs can also develop resistance to drugs used against it. The only effective method is to use several different drugs combined together over a long period of time - usually a minimum of six months. Project Update - 28 Sep 2000

Kenya

Nutritional emergency in Kenya

During the past three years, the district of Samburu - particularly the Baragoï zone - has been afflicted by a serious drought. Due to the scarcity of water and the loss of grazing land, MSF estimates that in this area populated primarily by herdsmen, 40% of the cattle have died. Project Update - 28 Sep 2000

Nicaragua

Hurricane Mitch: Precarious living conditions remain two years later

Over one and a half million people and 192 healthcare structures in four Central American countries supported by MSF. Press Release - 27 Sep 2000

El Salvador

Dengue fever campaigns start in El Salvador

The dengue fever in El Salvador continues to spread. The death toll so far has reached 30 people (28 children and two adults), indicating a high fatality rate of greater than seven per cent. Project Update - 25 Sep 2000

Ethiopia

The food crisis is not finished in Ogaden

MSF nutritional reports indicate that certain categories of population in Denan remain extremely vulnerable, in particular the displaced people (IDPs) where the general rate of malnutrition is 40%. Press Release - 21 Sep 2000

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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