The Fulbright Association will present its 2012 J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding to the international medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The award, a $50,000 prize, will be received with a speech by Dr Unni Karunakara, International President of MSF. Press Release - 6 Sep 2012

India

Bayer attempting to block affordable patented drugs

German pharmaceutical company Bayer is attempting to overturn a ground-breaking compulsory licence issued by India which has allowed more affordable generic versions of a cancer drug to be produced in the interest of public health. The issue of India’s first compulsory licence is a potential watershed for affordable access to patented medicines. MSF has criticised Bayer for the move. Press Release - 3 Sep 2012

Democratic Republic of Congo

MSF resumes medical activities in Walikale

MSF has resumed its medical activities in Walikale, four weeks after heavy fighting in the town forced the organisation to stop working. Press Release - 17 Aug 2012

Uganda

MSF sets up Ebola treatment centre

An emergency team from MSF has set up a treatment centre for Ebola in Kagadi, western Uganda, where 24 suspected cases have already been admitted. So far the outbreak has claimed the lives of 17 people. MSF staff have also put in place control measures to prevent the epidemic from spreading further, and to protect the local community and health workers. Press Release - 3 Aug 2012

Akim Faha holds her 2 year old daughter Tuna Osman in the Intensive Therapeutic Feeding Center at MSF's hospital in Batil refugee camp. In addition to being severely acutely malnourished Tuna is also suffering from a cough, diarrhea, and dehydration.

Batil is one of three Upper Nile camps sheltering at least 113,000 refugees who have crossed the border from Blue Nile state to escape fighting. Refugees arrive at the camp with harrowing stories of being bombed out of their homes, or having their villages burned. The camps into which they have poured are on a vast floodplain, leaving many tents flooded and refugees vulnerable to disease. Mortality rates in Batil camp are at emergency levels, malnutrition rates are more than five times above emergency thresholds, and diarrhea and malarial cases are rising.

South Sudan

Catastrophic health situation in refugee camps

New epidemiological data from two refugee camps in South Sudan show mortality and malnutrition rates well above emergency thresholds. More than 170,000 refugees have crossed the border to escape conflict in Sudan’s Blue Nile and South Kordofan states. Since June, an average of five children are dying each day in Yida camp and one in three children is malnourished in Batil camp. Press Release - 2 Aug 2012

Uganda

MSF team fights Ebola outbreak

An emergency team from MSF is in Kagadi, in western Uganda’s Kibaale district, to help fight an outbreak of the Ebola virus. Other MSF teams in Uganda are closely monitoring the situation. The Ebola outbreak, confirmed by the Ugandan government on 28 July, has killed at least 14 people, while at least 20 more are suspected to be infected. Press Release - 31 Jul 2012

Veena Panchal lives in Andheri East, a crowded suburb of Mumbai, along with her two children. She found out in 2002 that she was HIV positive, after the death of her husband from HIV/AIDS. Her two children are HIV negative.

HIV/AIDS

Middle-income countries are overcoming patents to bring down HIV drug prices

Middle-income countries are increasingly taking measures to overcome the patents that price drugs out of reach, according to a new report released by MSF 'Untangling the web of antiretroviral price reductions'. Press Release - 25 Jul 2012

Carmen Jose-Panti is 32 years old. She is HIV positive and lives with her husband and two children from a previous marriage in Tete in Mozambique. Carmen discovered she was HIV positive in 2007 and started antiretroviral treatment in 2009. She runs a small business from home selling charcoal, soap, salt and other domestic items. She is also attending night school. Carmen is part of a six-woman community HIV group that is supported by MSF. The members of the group support each other and once a month, they take it in turns to travel to the health centre to collect refills of medicines for themselves and the rest of the group.

HIV/AIDS

First-ever study of HIV treatment policies in 23 countries

A first-of-its-kind study released by MSF maps progress across 23 countries on HIV treatment strategies, tools and policies needed to increase treatment scale-up. The results show that governments have made improvements to get better antiretroviral (ARV) treatment to more people, but implementation of innovative community-based strategies is lagging in some countries. Press Release - 24 Jul 2012

An MSF nurse gives a blood test to an HIV-positive patient, to check her viral load and the number of CD4 cells. A week later the patient was advised to start with ARV therapy.<br/>
MSF treats HIV/AIDS patients in prisons and in the civil sector of Transnistria, a breakaway region of Moldova. The region suffers from a lack of resources and political instability. Here, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS is around 4 times higher than in the rest of Moldova. MSF provides life-prolonging anti-retroviral (ARV) therapy for the patients, as well as testing, counseling, health education for the HIV-positive people and their families, rehabilitation and equipment of health facilities and laboratories, and trainings for the local medical personnel. The project is scheduled to be handed-over to the local Ministry of Health by the end of 2008. 1

HIV/AIDS

Viral load monitoring improves HIV treatment in developing countries

As HIV treatment is scaled up in developing countries, the lack of access to viral load monitoring — routine in wealthy countries — must be addressed. Increased access to viral load monitoring can help people stay on antiretroviral combinations as long as possible, and help stave off resistance, according to a new report released today by MSF. Press Release - 23 Jul 2012

HIV/AIDS

Donors must commit to fight the HIV emergency

New United Nations data points to gains made in the fight against HIV/AIDS, but countries most affected by the pandemic continue to struggle to place enough people on treatment and to implement the best science and strategies to fight the disease. “It would be outrageous to assume that African states could combat this emergency alone, given their current limited resources.” Press Release - 19 Jul 2012

Four mothers posing in a corridor of the Hospital in Bili. All four of them are staying in the hospital with their child, that's suffering from a severe case of malaria. Since the beginning of the project in 2016, the pediatric ward already treated more than 4.000 cases of complicated/severe form of malaria.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

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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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Médecins Sans Frontières to receive 2012 J.William Fulbright prize for international understanding

Bayer attempting to block affordable patented drugs

MSF resumes medical activities in Walikale

MSF sets up Ebola treatment centre

Catastrophic health situation in refugee camps

MSF team fights Ebola outbreak

Middle-income countries are overcoming patents to bring down HIV drug prices

First-ever study of HIV treatment policies in 23 countries

Viral load monitoring improves HIV treatment in developing countries

Donors must commit to fight the HIV emergency

Independent medical humanitarian assistance

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79%

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