Since the start of the war in Syria 10 years ago, the lives of Syrian people have been under threat.

In 2011, the situation quickly shifted from localised protests to a full-scale war, leading to a devastating humanitarian situation that persists a decade later. In the course of 10 years, 12 million Syrians—half the pre-conflict population—have been forced to flee the conflict and leave their homes behind, often multiple times, making it the biggest displacement crisis of this century. Many of them are still displaced today. 

Vaccination is one of the most effective ways of preventing deadly diseases, saving millions of lives every year around the world. But ensuring that these life-saving medical tools are available where and when they're needed can be difficult. 

As Australia begins rolling out COVID-19 vaccination programs to combat the coronavirus, here are a few things you should know about the vaccines currently available—and about how effective distribution can end the pandemic more quickly for everyone.  

On 1 February 2021, Myanmar’s military staged a coup and took control of the country, once again plunging it into military rule. The military has declared a year-long state of emergency citing the failure of the civilian government to address election irregularities, and has detained key political figures and a number of journalists and political activists. 

Our medical programs are currently still running, but staff movements have been restricted and the situation remains fragile. Our statement below has been prepared by Benoit de Gryse, MSF Operational Manager for Myanmar.

Living in overcrowded camps for years on end, without legal status in Bangladesh, was already very distressing for the Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar. The COVID-19 pandemic has only brought greater restrictions, and stress, to the refugees caught in limbo.  

Since fighting first erupted in northern Ethiopia in early November, hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced from their homes. Some 50,000 people have crossed the border into Sudan as refugees, leaving border towns struggling to provide adequate food and shelter for those fleeing the violence. 

MSF teams in the region are providing essential medical care and support to refugees as they cross into Sudan. Australian nurse Kiera Sargeant, former MSF medical coordinator in Sudan, discusses the urgent needs and our current responses to the crisis. 

Since late 2019, Lebanon has been grappling with its worst economic crisis in decades, along with significant social unrest and political turmoil. In addition to the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic at the start of 2020, a major explosion tore through the capital, Beirut, in August, causing widespread devastation.

The country is already hosting the largest number of refugees per capita in the world. The overlapping crises in Lebanon have exacerbated people’s vulnerability and pushed thousands into poverty. 

In this third and final part of her blog series from Aweil, South Sudan, Dr Madeleine Finney-Brown describes an unforgettable day in the paediatric Intensive Care Unit. 

On Sunday January 3, the coalition of non-state armed groups attacked and took control of Bangassou, a town in the southeast of the Central African Republic on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams transported and urgently treated some of the wounded at the Bangassou Regional University Hospital (HRUB), a health structure that we have supported since 2014.