Week of 07/14/1997

MSF Teams to Stay in Cambodia

While many foreign relief organizations are leaving Cambodia, largely under pressure from governments who have withdrawn their funding in the wake of the military coup, MSF has chosen to stay. For as long as possible, MSF will continue its programs, especially those aimed at serving the poor and maintaining emergency preparedness. Last week, MSF team members transported patients from a shelled Phnom Penh hospital and moved them to safer locations. The team also supplied fuel to a hospital near Sisopon, and gave first aid to people injured in fighting in Siem Reap in the northwest of the country.

Team Arrives in Brazzaville, Congo Republic

A four-person international team arrived in Brazzaville after some difficulty gaining access to the country. The team will be assessing the health care situation for persons displaced by recent fighting to the south and southwestern parts of the city and will bring medical supplies 30 km south to the hospitals in Linzolo.

Treating Malnutrition in Korea

Responding to widespread malnutrition in North Korea, MSF has begun distributing of medicines and medical materials in three provinces: South Pyongyang, North Hwanghae, and Kangwon. Nutrition centers are also being planned. MSF will also monitor feeding programs run by UNICEF, train hospital staff, and start a small water and sanitation program. MSF is the first foreign non-governmental organization that has been allowed to address the malnutrition crisis in North Korea, alongside U.N. agencies.

Fighting Dengue Fever in Cuba

MSF has begun a six-month program to supply medical material for the treatment of dengue fever in Cuba. As of the end of June, some 800 dengue cases had been registered there. Transmitted by mosquitoes, rat droppings, and migratory birds, dengue causes fever, headache, and eye pain. In its hemorrhagic form, it leads to internal bleeding, coma, and shock. Endemic in tropical areas, dengue is considered an emerging epidemic, particularly in Latin America.