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The MSF flag flutters in the wind at MSF’s clinic in Al-Tanideba camp for Tigray refugees, in Eastern Sudan.
Conflict in Sudan

Forty-nine people killed in Khartoum’s deadliest weekend since conflict began

Our teams treated over 100 people wounded in two separate locations of Khartoum, Sudan, following deadly attacks where at least 49 people were killed. Press Release - 12 Sep 2023
 
Anam (name changed), a 17-year-old DRTB (Drug Resistant Tuberculosis) patient, shows her intravenous access port through which she receives her TB medication.

Anam (name changed on request), a bright 17-year-old, excels not only at English and Science in school but is an equally good Mehndi/henna artist. She tells us happily that she has completed a professional Mehndi course and learnt needlework. She aspires to become a fashion designer. 
She scrolls through her phone gallery, bringing up photos of the bridal henna designs that she has created. As her hand moves over the screen, there is a contrast between those delicate designs and the pattern on her own hand from the PICC Line (Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter).
Anam was first diagnosed with pulmonary TB at the age of nine. Before her diagnosis, she frequently had a cough and a fever. When her mother initially took her to a doctor, she was suspected of having double typhoid. 
Being diagnosed with TB at such a young age came as a blow to Anam’s family, who had no history of the disease.  Her mother later got to know that Anam studied with around eight to ten TB positive patients in school. The stigma around the disease is so strong that other children or their families never informed the school authorities. The parents feared that their children would be expelled, bullied, harassed or discriminated against. Anam’s mother decided that it was important to break this lethal chain. She informed the Principal and did not send Anam to school for the next five months. 
For 14 months, Anam received treatment at a private hospital with support from her immediate family and friends. However, the treatment did not work and her symptoms such as weight loss and vomiting worsened. The treatment at the private hospital cost her family around Rs 5,500 monthly (Rs 2,500 for medicines and Rs 3,000 for tests). In February 2021 she was finally diagnosed with drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) at a government DR-TB centre.  She was put on a DR-TB regimen, however subsequent investigations revealed additional resistance to other drugs as well. She suffered from cough, fever and weight loss. Since her condition was not improving with the treatment received so far, she ultimately came to MSF.  
At the MSF Clinic, Anam was put on a regimen of the oral drugs bedaquiline, delamanid, linezolid and amoxicillin, and an intravenous treatment with the injection imipenem. This regimen was built for her based on her resistance to certain drugs and she has been taking it for the last one and a half years.  
Anam’s mother says, “We have been through a very rough patch, but we found help every step of the way. The psychosocial support in terms of counselling, and the medical support that we received at the MSF clinic reduced our financial and medical treatment worries.”
Despite constant encouragement and support, every day Anam is also witness to another TB story unfolding outside her bedroom window. The impact of stigma and lack of awareness about TB is having serious consequences for a girl not much older than Anam in the neighbouring house. Anam recalls distraught conversations with her ‘window friend’: how she has been locked inside her room because of the disease; how her parents have abandoned her; and the irregularity of her meals. Anam’s mother says that their neighbours don’t allow other community members to help them. Bereft of medical and psychosocial support, her ‘window friend’ developed suicidal tendencies that resulted in one failed attempt to jump off the roof.  
Anam realises that her friend’s parents may have prevented the suicide attempt, yet they contributed nothing to alleviating the everyday suffering. No proper treatment is sought, she says. Anam’s mother tried to counsel the girl’s parents but they are reluctant to listen to anyone.
The story of Anam and her ‘window friend’ highlights the importance of medical treatment and psychosocial support in TB treatment, and the importance of raising awareness around the disease and fighting stigma.  And for Anam, even a small dream like hanging out with friends on a vacation post-recovery, keeps her going.
Tuberculosis

Johnson & Johnson and Cepheid must pledge access to lifesaving TB medicines and tests

Ahead of the global tuberculosis High-Level Meeting at the United Nations, Johnson & Johnson and Cepheid must pledge access to lifesaving TB medicines and tests for everyone in need. Press Release - 12 Sep 2023
 
Five-year-old Clark is given a free chest x-ray at one of MSF's active case finding sites for tuberculosis on March 13, 2023 in Tondo, Manila, Philippines.
TACTiC – Test, Avoid, Cure Tuberculosis in Children

The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health: Reversing the neglect of children and adolescents affected by tuberculosis

This comment article in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health journal co-authored by MSF and partner organisations highlights the gaps in preventing, diagnosing, and treating tuberculosis (TB) in children and adolescents. msfaccess.org - 11 Sep 2023
 
Patients and relatives of patients entering one of the MSF wards in the District Hospital of Magaria, that is supported by MSF in paediatrics and malnutrition.
Niger

Three things to know about the humanitarian situation in Niger

Sanctions on Niger could have disastrous effects as 3.3 million people are suffering from acute food insecurity. Here are three things to know about the situation on the ground. Interview - 11 Sep 2023
 
On the afternoon of 6 September 2023, a missile hit a marketplace in Kostiantynivka, in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. 

The attacked resulted in the death of at least 17 people, including a child, and left more than 30 injured.
War in Ukraine

Over 30 people hospitalised after deadly attack on marketplace in Kostiantynivka

Our teams have been providing lifesaving care to people injured in a deadly attack on a market place in Kostiantynivka, Ukraine, where 17 people have reportedly been killed. Press Release - 8 Sep 2023
 
Abortion: women more at risk of death in fragile and conflict-affected settings
Women's health

Abortion: Women more at risk of death in fragile and conflict-affected settings

The AMoCo study assesses the extent and severity of abortion-related complications in hospitals located in fragile and conflict-affected settings. Project Update - 5 Sep 2023
 
MSF staff entering Rusayo site, where over 100,000 displaced persons live in dire conditions for several months, lacking shelter, food, water and sanitation, and protection.
Democratic Republic of Congo

The struggle to survive amidst violence and displacement in North Kivu

This documentary tells the story of four women who fled fighting linked to the resurgence of the M23 in North Kivu, and of their daily struggle to survive. Documentary - 4 Sep 2023
 
The MSF flag flutters in the wind at MSF’s clinic in Al-Tanideba camp for Tigray refugees, in Eastern Sudan.
Conflict in Sudan

Turkish Hospital in Khartoum: Last lifeline for sick children and pregnant women

In Khartoum, where the health system has all but collapsed, we are addressing myriad health problems among people, especially very sick children, who are also at risk of deadly diseases and malnutrition. Voices from the Field - 4 Sep 2023
 
Commune of Ranobe, Amboasary District.

People in the south-east of Madagascar are facing the most acute nutritional and food crisis the region has seen in recent years. MSF began setting up mobile clinics in Amboasary district in late March to screen and treat acute malnutrition in remote villages like those of Ranobe commune, providing ready-to-use therapeutic food and medical care.
Central African Republic

Attacks against staff and patients in Batangafo threaten continuation of healthcare

MSF calls on all armed groups to respect and protect humanitarian workers, patients and their caretakers, after spate of violent attacks in Batangafo. Press Release - 1 Sep 2023
 
The indigenous community of Bajo Chiquito, in Panama, is the first point where migrants arrive after crossing the jungle.
Panama

Migrants arriving in Panama in urgent need of assistance

As thousands of migrants continue to cross the dangerous Darién Gap to Panama, humanitarian assistance must be urgently expanded in the region to prevent death and suffering along this route.   Press Release - 1 Sep 2023
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)

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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