“We sex workers always face risks,” says Carolina, a 37-year-old woman who has worked for the past 10 years on the streets of downtown San Pedro Sula, one of the most dangerous cities in Honduras. “There are men who try to hit us. Lots of men remove the condom without our consent – this is an...
In July 2023, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) closed the chapter on one of its longest standing projects in Malawi, launched some 25 years ago in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. MSF first began HIV/AIDS prevention and control activities in Malawi in 1994 in the district of Mwanza before expanding...
In 2002, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams opened the first outpatient treatment centre offering free care to people living with HIV in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Twenty years later, while great progress has been achieved in the country, major gaps remain in...
MSF teams remain in Ukraine, and we are currently seeking ways to adapt our response as the conflict situation evolves. We are deeply worried about the consequences of the conflict for Ukrainian people and communities. We see on the roads that tens of thousands of people are frightened and on the...
Myanmar’s public healthcare system is in disarray. Days after the military seized power on 1 February, medical staff walked out of their jobs, spearheading the civil disobedience movement that saw government employees of all stripes go on strike. Most have not returned. Those on strike who continue...
After a week of unrest in the KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces, in South Africa, people are still feeling the effects of the violence, with many vulnerable communities – particularly informal settlements – reporting difficulties in accessing food and health care. Despite calm returning, health...
On 8 June, Médecins Sans Frontières team in Dawei, Tanintharyi region, received a letter from the regional authorities asking us to suspend all activities. This decision will impact 2,162 people living with HIV under MSF care in Myittar Yeik clinic, who will struggle to access antiretroviral...
The violence and intimidation committed by security forces in Myanmar is creating a climate of fear and disrupting HIV patients' access to life-saving antiretroviral treatment. Ko Tin Maung Shwe is a high-risk patient who has both HIV and hepatitis C. He needs regular consultations to monitor his...
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) calls on Myanmar’s de facto military government and other groups to take all steps to ensure people have safe and unhindered access to healthcare regardless of where they seek it. Equally, medical staff must be able to provide life-saving care without attacks,...
Twenty years ago antiretroviral medicines to treat HIV were a rare luxury in South Africa. The rich could buy them for tens of thousands of rands in the private sector. Most had no access to treatment at all. At the time, president Thabo Mbeki and his infamous minister of health Manto Tshabalala-...
