Stories & News

Set up two years ago, MSF’s South Sudan Emergency Response Unit (SSERU) was designed as a first responder to crises across South Sudan and to reinforce MSF’s preparedness for dealing with emergencies. This article describes the SSERU’s first major emergency response which took place in Paloich in July and August 2023. 

Set up two years ago, MSF’s South Sudan Emergency Response Unit (SSERU) was designed as a first responder to crises across South Sudan and to reinforce MSF’s preparedness for dealing with emergencies. This article describes the SSERU’s first major emergency response which took place in Paloich in July and August 2023. 

MSF teams have been treating cholera and stopped the spread by working with community health promotion teams in Buhera district. Across Zimbabwe’s 10 provinces and 62 districts, 24,885 people have been infected and there have been 501 deaths since the first cases were identified in February 2023.

MSF teams have been treating cholera and stopped the spread by working with community health promotion teams in Buhera district. Across Zimbabwe’s 10 provinces and 62 districts, 24,885 people have been infected and there have been 501 deaths since the first cases were identified in February 2023.

With the resurgence of cholera cases since mid-December 2023 in the capital and several provinces of Zambia, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is involved in the emergency response alongside the Ministry of Health. The focus is on supporting patient care and fighting the spread of the outbreak in Lusaka and Ndola, the two largest cities in the country.

In Zimbabwe’s capital Harare, recurring outbreaks of cholera and typhoid fever are a pressing health concern. In many of the city’s suburbs, public water supply is unreliable, and leaking sewage pipes, pit latrines, and poor waste management contaminate the groundwater. Using innovative borehole technology and empowering communities to manage their own water points, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has developed a highly effective environmental health toolkit.