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Measles

You are viewing all content tagged Measles.  You can also read an overview of MSF's work with Measles.

Field News | February 27, 2013

Measles Continues to Stalk the Democratic Republic of Congo

A measles epidemic is still afflicting tens of thousands of children in northern DRC's Equateur and Orientale provinces.

Field News | January 31, 2013

65,000 Children Vaccinated Against Measles in DRC's South Kivu

In the past month, MSF teams in the Bunyakiri reagion of Democratic Republic of Congo's South Kivu Province have vaccinated more than 65,000 children aged 6 months to 15 years against measles.

Field News | January 30, 2013

MSF Responds To Increase In Measles in Southwestern Pakistan

Cases of measles are on the increase in the eastern region of Pakistan’s Balochistan Province.

Press Coverage | December 24, 2012

New York Times: Thousands of Children Are at Risk in Central Africa, Aid Agency Warns

 

A measles epidemic is endangering many children in the Democratic Republic of Congo. MSF is treating patients and administering hundreds of thousands of measles vaccinations.

Press Release | December 20, 2012

Democratic Republic of Congo: A Race to Stop Measles Epidemic

A measles epidemic is spreading throughout a vast region of DRC, and shortages of drugs and health staff are putting hundreds of thousands of children at risk.

Field News | May 3, 2012

In Chad, Diseases are Spreading as Food Supplies Dwindle

Food and water shortages in Chad are exacerbating malnutrition and contributing to the spread of deadly diseases like measles and meningitis.

Field News | April 30, 2012

MSF Battles Malnutrition and Disease Across a Swathe of West and Central Africa

This update details MSF's recent activities in Africa's Sahel region, where widespread malnutrition and water shortages are exacerbating the outbreaks of diseases like meningitis.

Field News | April 26, 2012

Emergency Response Scaled Up as Violence Continues in South Sudan

Tensions and hostilities continue unabated between South Sudan and its northern neighbor, Sudan, and MSF is therefore scaling up its emergency response. 

Special Report | April 6, 2012

Special Report: Assisting the Somali Population Affected by the Humanitarian Crisis of 2011

This document gives an overview of MSF activities related to the humanitarian crisis in Somalia and neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia. The data presented, though provisional, account for MSF’s medical activities and financial income and expenditures in this region, while the narrative illustrates how MSF as a medical aid organization responded to this evolving crisis. 

Field News | March 7, 2012

Somalia: Measles Takes its Toll

Measles is sweeping unchecked through parts of southern Somalia, where MSF is still waiting for permission from authorities to conduct a vaccination campaign.

Voice from the Field | February 28, 2012

Ethiopia: "There Is Still So Much to Improve"

José Luis Dvorzak, an MSF doctor, describes his experiences in Ethiopia's Liben refugee camps, and calls attention to the ongoing plight of Somali refugees.

Voice from the Field | February 2, 2012

Somalia: "The Child is Completely Different Than [the] Day He Was Admitted"

Four-year-old Khalif's uncle brought him 37 miles to Kismayo to receive treatment at MSF's inpatient therapeutic feeding center.

Field News | November 11, 2011

Somalia: Caught Between Epidemics, Malnutrition, and Conflict

A measles epidemic is spreading. The lack of infrastructure and services is worsening the population’s vulnerability. And civilians have endured new military offensives.

Alert Article | November 1, 2011

Measles in Africa

Not long ago, it was tempting to think the battle against measles was being won. Stepped-up vaccination campaigns had driven the number of reported cases down to 32,000 in 2007, according to the World Health Organization, the lowest ever recorded. Over the past three years, however, there has been a resurgence.

Alert Article | November 1, 2011

Somalia's Ongoing Emergency

Throughout the summer, waves of Somalis set out on desperate, arduous journeys, braving desert heat, hunger, and bandits to seek relief from a catastrophe remarkable even by the standards of this long-troubled country.

Field News | October 21, 2011

Somalia: Vaccination Campaign Suspended Due to Fighting In Daynile

After heavy fighting erupted on October 20 in Daynile, on the outskirts of Mogadishu, MSF was forced to suspend its measles vaccination campaign in the area.

Field News | September 29, 2011

Fighting Measles in Somalia Proves Difficult

Today in Somalia, measles is among the biggest threats to the survival of tens of thousands of vulnerable malnourished children.

Field News | September 13, 2011

Somalia: An Uphill Battle Against Measles and Cholera

To the extent possible given the conditions, MSF is battling cholera and measles outbreaks in and around the town of Marere in southern Somalia

Press Release | September 12, 2011

As the Number of Measles Epidemics Skyrocket, Global Response Lags

As the Measles Initiative meets in Washington, D.C., MSF is calling for an effective outbreak response mechanism to be established immediately to deal with the rising numbers of severe outbreaks worldwide. 

Field News | May 20, 2011

DRC: Treating Measles in a Remote Province

Despite difficult logistical challenges, MSF has begun an emergency response to the measles epidemic in Maniema.

Press Release | March 28, 2011

DRC: Response to Measles Epidemic Inadequate

International health agencies must increase and speed up their response to a measles epidemic rapidly spreading through the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Field News | February 18, 2011

DRC: Battling a Measles Epidemic in Katanga

MSF and the DRC's Ministry of Health is vaccinating more than a million children to stem a measles outbreak in Katanga Province.

Alert Article | January 31, 2011

Humanitarian Space

This past summer, a Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) team conducting measles surveillance in Nigeria followed a rumor to a remote village where 40 children had died of a mysterious illness, and more were falling ill.

Special Report | December 29, 2010

Access to Essential Medicines: Ten Stories That Mattered in 2010

Through its Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines, MSF has been closely following the developments in the world of access to medicines, vaccines and diagnostics.

Field News | November 29, 2010

DRC: MSF Responding to Measles Epidemics

When a number of measles epidemics hit DRC at the same time, MSF began mass treatment and immunization programs in several parts of the country.

Alert Article | September 30, 2010

Snapshot

Scores of people came to an MSF facility in Malawi in May to get vaccinated for measles.

Alert Article | September 29, 2010

Fighting the Measles Resurgence

MSF physician Cameron Bopp returned in July after several months in Africa. Here, he discusses his time in Malawi, during which he was tasked with overseeing the emergency response to the measles outbreak and setting up vaccination programs.

Voice from the Field | June 16, 2010

Interview: A Rude Awakening in the Fight Against Measles

Voice from the Field | June 16, 2010

Measles: “There Are Clearly Systemic Failures in Measles Prevention Programs”

Given the recent upsurge of measles epidemics in stable countries, Thierry Durand, MSF operations director, thinks it necessary to recognize and analyze failures in the prevention of this disease.

Field News | June 16, 2010

Measles: An Overview

Though often left off the list of the most worrisome diseases, measles poses a major danger, particularly to children under five years of age.

Field News | June 16, 2010

Measles: Multiple Outbreaks Show the Need For New Outlook

In 2009, MSF helped immunize more than 1.5 million children and adolescents in response to measles outbreaks in 10 countries. In 2010, this figure will probably double.

Voice from the Field | June 15, 2010

Malawi: "Almost every family has been affected by measles"

Dr. Neil Stone, a physician from Scotland, is working with MSF to respond to a major measles epidemic in Malawi in southern Africa.

Field News | June 4, 2010

Malawi: MSF Helps Vaccinate 2.5 Million Children for Measles

Malawi has been facing its biggest measles epidemic in 13 years. Working with the local health authorities, MSF has launched a vaccination campaign for more than 2.5 million children.

Field News | November 20, 2009

DRC: More Than 165,000 Children Vaccinated Against Measles in Masisi, North Kivu

An epidemic of measles is currently raging in the Miandgja, Ngomashi, and Lwibo districts in the Masisi region of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. There are hundreds of thousands of children living in these areas who have not been immunized against measles.  Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has therefore launched a large-scale emergency vaccination campaign and has also treated 130 children who have contracted measles.

Field News | July 10, 2009

Mali: MSF Responds to Measles Epidemic

MSF is providing treatment to those infected, and has launched a vaccination campaign for approximately 400,000 children between six months and 15 years of age.

Field News | July 6, 2009

Somalia: MSF Runs Successful Measles Campaign in Spite of Conflict

Since April, an outbreak of measles has been sweeping through the town of Guri El and nearby areas in the Galgaduud region of South and Central Somalia. So far, MSF has treated 403 patients for measles-related complications in the area.

Field News | June 2, 2009

Somalia: MSF Treats Injured and Sick Patients As Violence Surges

As intense violence once again rocks Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, teams from Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) continue working throughout the country to provide lifesaving medical care.

Voice from the Field | April 2, 2009

Vaccinating Against Measles in Chad: Battered Trucks and Donkey Tracks

Following an outbreak in eastern Chad, MSF is currently vaccinating children between six months and 15 years against measles. As a nurse, Lenny Krommenhoek was part of this vaccination team for five weeks. Following her recent return, she wrote about the enormous logistical challenges she faced during her mission and her very personal experience in this remote part of the world.

Field News | March 2, 2009

Eastern Chad: MSF Begins Measles Vaccination Campaign in Adré District

On February 18, 2009, MSF started a massive measles vaccination campaign in the district of Adré in Eastern Chad, along the Sudan border. MSF teams have up to today vaccinated 19,000 children against measles.

Field News | February 12, 2009

MSF Vaccinates More Than 40,000 Children for Measles in Chad

MSF has mobilized significant human and logistical resources to fight an ongoing measles epidemic in the district of Abéché, Chad.

Field News | June 18, 2008

DRC: MSF vaccinates against measles in areas of North Kivu

Both the displaced and the residents in North Kivu lack the most basic living standards, such as good hygiene conditions, clean water, food, and healthcare. As a result, there are disease outbreaks.

Field News | April 4, 2008

Niger: MSF Vaccinates Nearly 300,000 Children Against Measles

Since January, thousands of children have developed measles in Niger. MSF has sent medical teams to Maradi and Zinder, the regions with the highest numbers of measles cases, to prevent the spread of this highly contagious disease.

Research Article | February 7, 2008

The dynamics of measles in sub-Saharan Africa

Press Release | November 15, 2006

Mass Measles Vaccinations Are Effective At Early Signs of Outbreak

Atlanta, November 15, 2006 — In research presented at the 55th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), the international emergency medical aid organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and its research affiliate, Epicentre, showed how rapid, mass vaccinations can reduce the toll inflicted by measles epidemics in Africa. In light of these and other findings, MSF feels there is enough evidence for the WHO to revise its current policy recommendations, which doubts the effectiveness of mass immunization once an epidemic has started, stating that such campaigns would be undertaken too late to have any meaningful impact.

Special Report | November 15, 2006

Exploring the time to intervene with a reactive mass vaccination campaign in measles epidemics

In a recent study, MSF and its research affiliate, Epicentre, showed how rapid, mass vaccinations can reduce the toll inflicted by measles epidemics in Africa. "The fact that the WHO does not promote vaccination campaigns during an epidemic only hinders an effective emergency response," said epidemiologist Rebecca Grais.

Press Release | March 13, 2006

DRC: Doctors Without Borders launches a massive measles vaccination campaign

Kinshasa/Brussels, March 13, 2006 - The international humanitarian aid organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is launching a massive measles vaccination campaign in Mbuji Mayi (Kasai Oriental province), the second largest city in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In only a few weeks, MSF teams will vaccinate an estimated 550,000 children under the age of 5.

Field News | September 14, 2005

Serious Measles Outbreak on Sumba Island, Indonesia

On August 24, MSF sent its first team consisting of one medical doctor, one nurse, and two logisticians, to West Sumba in order to investigate reports of a measles outbreak that had killed five people in the sub-district of Kodi. They soon found that the outbreak had already spread into 6 of West Sumba's 15 sub-districts.

Field News | May 24, 2005

MSF Starts Therapeutic Feeding and Fights Measles Epidemic in Chadian Capital

After having vaccinated more than 40,000 children in the Bousso district, 186 miles south of N'Djamena, MSF medical teams have now joined their colleagues in the capital of Chad.

Press Release | April 28, 2005

Responding to a Measles Epidemic in Chad

April 28, 2005, N’Djamena/New York - A measles epidemic has hit at least three provinces in Southern and Eastern Chad, as well as the capital, N’Djamena. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has started to provide emergency assistance by treating patients with measles, continuing assessments, and carrying out vaccination campaigns.

Voice from the Field | October 15, 2004

Nurse Jessica Nestrell
Going Upriver: MSF Aid Worker Battles Measles in Congo

Over the past 18 months, MSF has vaccinated more than 500,000 children in a continuing campaign against measles in some of the most inaccessible areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). MSF nurse Jessica Nestrell is coordinating the vaccination campaign.

Press Release | April 28, 2004

Measles and Malnutrition Increasing in Sudan's Darfur Region

New York, April 28, 2004 - Because of the lack of appropriate, urgently needed aid, the health of displaced people in Sudan's Darfur region - particularly children - is radically worsening, according to the international medical aid organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

Voice from the Field | March 25, 2003

Mary Jo Frawley, RN
Vaccinating Against Measles in Tajikistan

Mary Jo Frawley, an American RN and veteran of six MSF field missions, joined an MSF team this winter for a measles vaccination campaign in the remote mountain villages of Tajikistan.

Field News | September 6, 2001

Mass Measles Vaccination Completed in Congo

Field News | October 26, 1998

News for the Week of October 26, 1998