Médecins Sans Frontières brings medical humanitarian assistance to victims of conflict, natural disasters, epidemics or healthcare exclusion.
We treat patients suffering from a wide array of illnesses and health needs. Here you will find some of the main needs we see and what we do about them.
Discover the main crises we work in, the consequences faced by affected people and challenges in delivering care.
Medical Activities
Malnutrition
More than 224 million children around the world last year suffered from malnutrition. It is the underlying contributing factor in nearly half of the deaths of children under five years of age.
Medical Activities
Measles
In 2022, our teams vaccinated over 4.1 million people against measles in response to outbreaks. But the highly contagious viral disease remains one of the leading killers of young children.
In Focus
Mediterranean migration
Every year, thousands of people fleeing war, persecution and poverty at home attempt the treacherous journey across the Mediterranean. Countless lives are lost on the way.
Medical Activities
Meningitis
Meningococcal meningitis is a highly contagious bacterial form of meningitis – a serious inflammation of the meninges – the thin lining that surrounds the brain and spinal cord.
Medical Activities
Mental health
Where we work, we may see people with a mental illness or confronting distressing situations, such as violence, loss or displacement. Mental health support can be crucial to help people cope.
Crisis Settings
Natural disasters
Within a matter of minutes, natural disasters can affect the lives of tens of thousands of people. Hundreds or even thousands of people can be injured, homes and livelihoods destroyed. Access to clean water, healthcare services and transport can also be disrupted. The impact of each disaster varies greatly and our response must adapt to each situation.
Medical Activities
Neglected diseases
MSF teams treat a number of neglected diseases, including noma, Chagas, cutaneous leishmaniasis, in projects across the world.
Medical Activities
Non-communicable diseases
Non-communicable diseases are not transmitted from one person to another. One could cite the cardiovascular diseases (cardiovascular or cerebrovascular accidents), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma) and diabetes.
Crisis Settings
Refugees, IDPs and people on the move
There are many reasons for flight, including war, persecution, conflict, natural disaster, destitution and repression. With health and well-being jeopardised, the lives of the most vulnerable can be at risk.
In Focus
Rohingya refugee crisis
Legally stateless, with very limited options or rights in any country where they have sought refuge, the Rohingya are extremely vulnerable.
Medical Activities
Safe abortion care
MSF is committed to providing safe abortion care to reduce avoidable suffering and deaths. Every minute, a woman or girl has an unsafe abortion. .
Medical Activities
Sexual violence
Sexual violence affects millions of people, brutally shattering the lives of women, men and children. It is a medical emergency, but there is often a dire lack of healthcare services for victims.
Medical Activities
Sleeping sickness
Sleeping sickness, or human African trypanosomiasis, is a neglected tropical disease. It is a potentially fatal parasitic infection which attacks the body’s central nervous system, causing severe neurological conditions.
Medical Activities
Snakebite
Snakebite is a hidden health crisis. Every year, an estimated 2.7 million people are bitten by venomous snakes, resulting in death for more than 100,000 people and life-long disfigurement and disability for 400,000 more.
Crisis Settings
Social violence and exclusion
Many people are unable to access healthcare simply because of who they are. They may be afraid to seek help, or are excluded because they are forced to live outside of mainstream societal bounds.
Medical Activities
Surgery & trauma care
Médecins Sans Frontières has been providing surgical care for people in precarious contexts for decades.
Medical Activities
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the world’s biggest global health crises. Killing 1.6 million people in 2020, TB is the world’s second deadliest infectious disease after COVID-19 (WHO).
In Focus
Türkiye and Syria earthquake response
Find out the latest information on the emergency earthquake response in Türkiye/Syria.
Medical Activities
Vaccination
MSF teams vaccinate millions of people every year, either as part of routine vaccination, or in response to an outbreak of disease.
Crisis Settings
War and conflict
More than one third of our humanitarian and medical assistance is for people affected by armed conflict.
In Focus
War in Ukraine
The war in Ukraine has caused the displacement of millions of people as well as severe medical and humanitarian needs. MSF teams are responding to the conflict across Ukraine and in neighbouring countries.
Medical Activities
Women's health
An estimated 99 per cent of women who die in childbirth or from pregnancy-related complications live in developing countries. Most of these deaths are preventable.
Medical Activities
Yellow fever
Yellow fever can be prevented with a vaccine, yet it's a disease that claims the lives of an estimated 30,000 - 60,000 people each year.
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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