MSF-USA: News for the Week of October 26, 1998

October 26, 1998
News for the Week of October 26, 1998

Briefing of UN Security Council on Southern Sudan

On October 26, 1998, MSF, CARE International, Oxfam/Great Britain, and Save the Children Fund (SCF) urged the UN Member States of the Security Council to take an active role in ending the fighting in Sudan. In a joint statement issued at the meeting in New York, the four largest international humanitarian organizations working in Sudan stressed that the ongoing war and resulting crisis "have now reached an unimaginable and extraordinary level of tragedy....Peace is the only hope for progress and to prevent further humanitarian catastrophe."

MSF joined the other organizations in testifying that the most recent installment of Sudan's near half-century war has caused millions of civilian deaths, massive displacement, the depopulation of the southern parts of the country, the collapse of the rural economy and government, and increasing instability and ethnic hostility.

As of last week, MSF was operating 13 supplementary feeding centers serving 8395 children and 10 therapeutic feeding centers administering medically monitored feedings to 1079 children in southern Sudan.

Aral Sea Tuberculosis Project in Uzbekistan Up and Running

An MSF tuberculosis treatment program in Uzbekistan is now in full swing. The program is operating at two treatment centers and a number of clinics in Muynak and Kungrad, in the autonomous province of Karakalpakstan. National staff are being trained in the DOTS (Direct Observation Treatment Short-course) protocol, which is designed to reduce the growth of drug-resistant forms of TB. MSF is also renovating a number of additional clinic buildings to cope with an increased inflow of patients. The area around the Aral Sea in Uzbekistan is badly polluted, causing health problems for the surrounding population of around five million people. The incidence of tuberculosis is over 4,000 cases per 100,000—one of the highest rates in the former Soviet Union and Europe. In addition to tuberculosis, the MSF program in Karakalpakstan is also combating respiratory infections, diarrheal diseases, and anemia.

Measles Vaccination Campaign in Liberia

On October 14 and 15, MSF teams in Liberia conducted a measles vaccination campaign in the Sinje refugee camp. Located in Grand Cape Mount county, the camp is home to about 6,200 refugees from Sierra Leone. In addition, MSF undertook a health screening in the camp to assess and begin to monitor nutritional needs. In the Liberian capital of Monrovia, MSF continues to operate a therapeutic feeding center for 120 severely malnourished children as well as two cholera treatment units. In Bom and Lofa counties, MSF is collaborating with the local health authorities to run a medium-term health care program.