6-2 | Syrian refugees in Lebanon are finding it increasingly difficult to access vital medical services due to reports of forced deportation and restrictions on their freedom of movement. Teams from Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and their partners have heard from patients that the situation is being exacerbated by discriminatory rhetoric against refugees, creating concerns for their safety and an environment of fear.
8-8 | Since March 2022, an MSF – Hong Kong team with doctors, nurses, psychologists, and engineers, has conducted multi-disciplinary assessments in 16 elderly homes and residential care homes for persons with disabilities to cope with potential future outbreaks. The team has provided key recommendations on ventilation and air quality, infection and prevention control, as well as mental health and emotional well-being of the residents and staff.
5-4 | The COVID-19 vaccine Humanitarian Buffer (HB) is failing its mission to support people hit by the pandemic and struggling to access immunisation, says Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The HB is part of the COVAX mechanism*, whose aim is to assist groups of people who do not have access to COVID-19 vaccination in situations of humanitarian emergency. However, MSF’s recent experience in northern Syria has highlighted the system’s limitations and ultimate failure to fulfil its purpose.
2-17 | CAPE TOWN - A vaccination support programme developed by MSF in Khayelitsha, South Africa, in partnership with the Western Cape Department of Health (WCDoH), has shown that it is possible to target and protect individuals with comorbidities that increase the risk of severe disease and death from COVID-19.
1-27 | Nine Médecins sans frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) staff members were detained by the Sudanese authorities in the capital Khartoum on the evening of 24 January, before being released the following morning.