People with TB are some of the most vulnerable to COVID-19. In Karakalpakstan, we have started a health promotion campaign directed at TB patients with messages related to TB and COVID-19 in Karakalpak language, using Telegram.

People with TB are some of the most vulnerable to COVID-19. In Karakalpakstan, we have started a health promotion campaign directed at TB patients with messages related to TB and COVID-19 in Karakalpak language, using Telegram.
In 2016, with the death of President Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan held its first elections since it gained independence in the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Tuberculosis (TB) and HIV care continue to be the focus for MSF in Uzbekistan, which is among the 27 countries with the highest rates of multidrug-resistant TB.
Uzbekistan has one of the world's highest rates of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB).
In January 2017, in the Karakalpakstan region in the west of the country, MSF has launched an innovative clinic trial to find a better treatment for TB patients.
The side effects of the TB medicines currently available are often described as worse than the disease itself: nausea, headaches, deafness, and psychosis. Patients deal with a program of up to 20 pills a day alongside painful injections. Despite so many people living with the complex condition worldwide, investment and research into alternatives has been limited.
The MSF trial aims to evaluate regimens containing two promising new drugs, combined with existing and repurposed drugs, over a much shorter course of six months. This treatment has the potential to be more effective and more tolerable, does not require injections, and can be adapted for children.
TB dosage along with additional drugs to help with the side effects. © Natalia Sergeeva / MSF
As part of this comprehensive TB care program, MSF works with the national and regional health ministries to implement models of care that are more patient-centered, and in line with updated World Health Organization guidelines.
In the capital, Tashkent, we support the regional AIDS centre, with the aim of increasing access to diagnosis and care for patients living with HIV.
In collaboration with the health ministry, this project is a ‘one-stop shop’ facility to support the integration of services for HIV, TB, hepatitis C and provide more effective testing and treatment for co-infected patients.
In a coordinated agreement with the Republican AIDS Centre, MSF will test and treat high-risk groups, such as people who inject drugs and sex workers.
Médecins Sans Frontières has been working in Afghanistan since 1980, providing emergency surgical care, responding to conflict and natural disasters, and treating people cut off from healthcare.
MSF worked in Angola from 1983 until 2007. Why were we there? Armed conflict Endemic/Epidemic disease Social violence/Healthcare exclusion
MSF worked in Argentina from 2001 until 2003. Why were we there? Providing essential medicines and supplies
Why are we there? Endemic/epidemic disease Social violence/healthcare exclusion Natural disaster
Cameroon is facing multiple and overlapping crises, including recurrent epidemics, malnutrition due to food insecurity, displacement, and conflict.
Why are we there? Armed conflict Endemic/epidemic disease Healthcare exclusion
Why are we there? Armed conflict Healthcare exclusion Natural disaster
The political, economic and military crises of 2002-2010 have taken a severe toll on the Ivorian health system.
MSF worked in Ecuador until 2007. Why were we there? Endemic/Epidemic disease Natural disaster
In France, we work with migrants and refugees, who encounter policies and practices aimed at preventing them from settling or claiming their rights.
Why are we there? Armed conflict Endemic/epidemic disease Social violence/heathcare exclusion
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An MSF team in Hong Kong opened a project at the end of January focusing on health education for vulnerable people. Community engagement is a crucial activity of any outbreak response and in Hong Kong, this focuses on groups who are less likely to have access to important medical information, such as the socio-economically disadvantaged. The team is also targeting those who are more vulnerable to developing severe disease if they are infected, such as the elderly.
MSF worked in Indonesia between 1995 and 2009 Why were we there? Natural disaster
Jordan hosts over 700,000 refugees, according to the UNHCR, many of whom reside in camps or have settled in the country.
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Libya remains fragmented by a decade of conflict and political instability. The breakdown of law and order, the collapse of the economy, and fighting have decimated the healthcare system.
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In Mozambique we are responding to emergencies including disease outbreaks, providing care to people with advanced HIV, while also working in the conflict-ridden Cabo-Delgado province.
Why are we there? Endemic/epidemic disease Social violence/healthcare exclusion
Why are we there? Providing comprehensive emergency healthcare to people in remote regions of Pakistan is a priority, yet accessibility and security are a constraint for both Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and patients.
MSF worked in Rwanda from 1991 until 2007.
Why were we there? Conflict Healthcare exclusion Endemic/Epidemic disease
Why are we there? Endemic/epidemic disease Healthcare exclusion
Why are we there? Armed conflict Endemic/epidemic disease Healthcare exclusion
Why are we there? Armed conflict Endemic/Epidemic disease Healthcare exclusion
Why are we there? Endemic/epidemic disease Social violence Healthcare exclusion