The MSF boats Dignity I and Bourbon Argos together with the MY Phoenix, operated jointly with MOAS, yesterday rescued 1,658 people in MSF’s biggest day of operations on the Mediterranean Sea since operations began on 2 May. In six separate rescue operations, the three search and rescue vessels...
In the wake of a major attack carried out by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram on the town of Baga, in northern Nigeria, a team from Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is assisting survivors who have fled to the city of Maiduguri. A large number of people are believed to have been killed in the...
MSF releases Zamfara Lead Poisoning progress report Six months on from an International Lead Poisoning Conference, Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) warns that time is running out to solve the Zamfara crisis in Nigeria. In a progress report, MSF has been treating lead poisoned children since the start...
Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) is encouraged by the engagement of the Emir of Gusau on the critical lead poisoning situation in Zamfara, but notes with concern the confusion caused by a potential ban on gold ore processing. MSF unequivocally believes that a ban on artisanal mining would have...
An international conference to find solutions to the Zamfara lead poisoning crisis* in Nigeria, of which Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), was the lead organiser concluded on 10th May. The conference delegates endorsed a clear action plan calling for Nigerian government commitment to resolve the...
Among the US government diplomatic cables recently published by the Wikileaks website were details of a meeting between an official from the pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, and US Embassy officials in Nigeria in April 2009. At the time of the meeting, Pfizer was in the midst of a legal battle with...
Earlier this year, cases of lead poisoning in children and adults were confirmed in 5 villages in Zamfara state, northwestern Nigeria. Since early June, Médecins Sans Frontières, in collaboration with Ministry of Health has been providing emergency treatment for children under 5 years of age and...
More than 100,000 people have been forced to leave their homes due to flooding in northwestern Nigeria, after a dam failed on the Rima River near Goronyo, Sokoto State, on 8 September. Dozens of villages were rapidly submerged when a large section of the Goronyo dam’s spillway collapsed. The area...
In north western Nigeria, Médecins Sans Frontières and the Nigerian health authorities have started treating 50 children who are sick with lead poisoning. The poisoning, caused by local mining practices has been confirmed in two villages, while four other villages are also suspected to be...
