Vaccination and nutritional support are crucial
As a citizen and as a doctor, I feel deep concern when I consider the growing health needs in my homeland. Some of these needs pre-date the conflict, but all of them have been worsened by it.
Sudan has a troubling history of outbreaks such as measles and meningitis. These highly contagious diseases can be prevented through vaccination, but without it, they can be fatal, especially for young children. One factor that puts children particularly at risk is malnutrition, which impairs the immune system.
With the collapse of the healthcare system and hundreds of thousands of people now having fled violence, often living in crowded makeshift camps, large-scale vaccination programmes and nutritional support are more than crucial – they are a potential lifeline.
Working with communities
In Sudan, most of the areas where we work remain active battle zones. This makes our work incredibly challenging and dangerous, but it also makes us more determined.
The determination I mention here isn’t solely focused on MSF; I extend it to the communities who come together to support each other. For instance, in Um Rakuba camp, in the east of Sudan, MSF provides desperately needed humanitarian care to thousands of people who live in and around the refugee camp.
When the conflict erupted, it was unclear if it would be possible to continue our support there, but with the determination of a core team, there has been no gap in the service. Last year, we delivered 40,000 medical consultations to refugees as well as to the host community and assisted 507 women to give birth safely. Our determination is shared: in Um Rakuba I’ve seen first-hand the important role local volunteers and community midwives are playing.
Fonte original msf.org
