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Malaria

How malaria kills

The Anopheles mosquito breeds in fresh water like ponds, puddles or slow-moving streams. So malaria tends to occur during the wet season. The female mosquito needs a blood feed in order to nourish her own eggs. Project Update - 28 Sep 2000
 
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Malaria

How MSF teams treat malaria patients

The most dangerous form of malaria, the one caused by falciparum parasites, tends over time to develop resistance to antimalarial drugs.In a new emergency situation MSF teams will collaborate with local health authorities in determining which drugs are most appropriate for treating cases Project Update - 28 Sep 2000
 
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Malnutrition

How MSF teams treat malnourished children

Children found to be less than 70% of the expected weight for their height are defined as severely malnourished. MSF teams admit them to a therapeutic feeding centre, where they receive intensive care. Project Update - 28 Sep 2000
 
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Measles

How measles kills

The rash of measles covers not only the skin but also the internal body surfaces of an affected child. This is what causes the complications of measles. The rash affects the intestines, and this leads to diarrhoea. Project Update - 28 Sep 2000
 
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Measles

How MSF teams treat measles patients

MSF teams concentrate on treating the complications of measles. Chest infections, especially the most severe form known as pneumonia, are treated with antibiotics. Project Update - 28 Sep 2000
 
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Meningitis

How meningitis kills

The meningococcus resides in the nose or throat of health carriers - people who do not themselves fall sick because they have a measure of natural or acquired immunity. Project Update - 28 Sep 2000
 
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Diarrhoeal disease

How diarrhoea kills

Diarrhoea causes a person to lose both water and electrolytes. Electrolytes are the salts such as sodium and potassium which are essential to the functioning of every cell in the body. If vomiting accompanies the diarrhoea then these losses are accelerated. Project Update - 28 Sep 2000
 
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Haemorrhagic fevers

How ebola kills

The Ebola virus must hide somewhere between outbreaks, but no-one has yet discovered where - it may be in monkeys or some other animal host, or it may be in healthy human carriers. Once an outbreak does occur the virus is spread from person to person via blood and bodily secretions. Project Update - 28 Sep 2000
 
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Haemorrhagic fevers

Ebola: The start

In 1976, in the north of what was then called Zaire, there was an outbreak of a new and deadly disease. It caused high fever, a rash, and bleeding from the internal organs. The disease moved for a while along the banks of the Ebola River, killing almost every person it struck. Then it disappeared again, as mysteriously as it had arrived. Project Update - 28 Sep 2000
 
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Meningitis

How MSF teams treat meningitis patients

Meningitis should be diagnosed by a microscope examination of fluid taken from a patient during a lumbar puncture, which means inserting a needle into the spinal canal low on the back. Project Update - 28 Sep 2000
Cholera intervention in South Kivu
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

Independent medical humanitarian assistance

We provide medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare. Our teams are made up of tens of thousands of health professionals, logistic and administrative staff - most of them hired locally. Our actions are guided by medical ethics and the principles of independence and impartiality. We are a non-profit, self-governed, member-based organisation.

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