Snakebite, malaria and Gaza: The science of saving lives

Every May in London, Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) hosts Scientific Days, an annual innovation conference.The event brings together medical and humanitarian experts from around the world to share the research they have been doing into the conditions and crises that they face every day.In this episode of Everyday Emergency, we spoke to three specialists about their research and how it could help patients.From a game-changing antivenom to new tools in malaria prevention and the science of documenting traumatic injuries in Gaza, this is a behind-the-scenes look at life-saving innovation.Speakers:Matt ColdironAlan de Lima PereiraJenna HoytSohaib SafiPresented by Amber DowellEdited by Sandy McKeeAssociate producer: Kate LeeSeries producer: Mark LankesterPhoto: Toks Adeola Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

April marked a sobering milestone: the three-year anniversary of the ongoing war in Sudan. The scale of the crisis has become enormous, with 33 million people now in need of humanitarian aid – more than the entire population of Australia.  From the very first moments of the crisis, MSF teams have been responding, from running clinics in displacement camps to providing emergency surgery for people caught in the crossfire.  Today, we’re joined by Dr Oliver Yerby, an emergency medicine specialist who has recently returned from an MSF assignment in Darfur, a region which has seen some of the worst consequences of the war. ---Presented by Amber DowellEdited by Sandy McKeeAssociate producer: Kate LeeSeries producer: Mark LankesterPhoto: Cindy Gonzalez/MSF - Mustafa Omer Idriss, Sudanese doctor and MSF Medical Activities Manager, examines a child in Tawila Hospital.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the past weeks, the world’s media has been focused on the crisis in the Middle East. The sharp escalation in violence has brought fear to the lives of millions of people. Airstrikes have hit densely populated areas with particular ferocity in Iran and in Lebanon, where hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes.Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) teams across the region have been adapting their programmes to respond to the crisis.However, behind the headlines, on the other side of the Greater Middle East Region, a long-term humanitarian crisis continues to play out in Afghanistan.For this month’s podcast, we spoke to Dr Mohammad Qaher Poya, the deputy nursing director at MSF's specialist trauma centre in Kunduz, a city in northern Afghanistan. The trauma centre was originally set up to meet the needs of people injured during the war in Afghanistan. Now, in this post-conflict environment, the team uses their long experience of dealing with what's known as 'mass casualty incidents' to save lives when the sheer number of patients threatens to overwhelm the hospital.Dr Poya took a break between busy shifts to call us from Afghanistan.If you would like to support our life-saving medical work around the world, please visit msf.org.uk to make a donation. Thank you.Presented by Amber DowellEdited by Sandy McKeeAssociate producer: Kate LeeSeries producer: Mark LankesterPhoto: Tasal Khogyani  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last year in Gaza, MSF assisted in one in three births, supported one in five hospital beds, and provided 800,000 medical consultations. This year, however, our teams have faced the prospect that our operations in the Strip could be forced to close.In this episode, we talk to nursing activity manager Steve Davidson and field communications officer Nour Alsaqqa: two people with firsthand knowledge of MSF’s work in Gaza, the life-saving impact it’s having, and what would be lost if it couldn’t continue. Presented by Amber DowellEdited by Sandy McKeeAssociate producer: Kate LeeSeries producer: Mark LankesterPhoto: Motassem Abu Aser Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Northern Nigeria, the conflict between government forces and armed groups is hitting communities hard. Vast numbers have been forced to flee, grabbing what they can, leaving behind their homes and livelihoods.Amid the fear, kidnapping and violence, another crisis is unfolding: the number of women dying in pregnancy or childbirth is among the highest in the world, with one woman dying of these complications every seven minutes according to figures from the UN.In this episode of Everyday Emergency, we're joined by Hauwa Tanko Audu, a health promotion supervisor, who tells us how the MSF team in the city of Maiduguri are working to ensure women and newborns have access to life-saving care.Presented by Amber DowellEdited by Sandy McKeeAssociate producer: Kate LeeSeries producer: Mark LankesterPhoto: Eugene Osidiana / MSF Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For this special episode of Everyday Emergency, we’re taking a look back at MSF’s work over the last 12 months.This year, MSF teams were on the ground during some of the world's biggest crises. We provided essential medical care as the wars in Gaza and Ukraine continued, violence escalated in Sudan, and millions of people across the globe were caught up in crises that didn’t always make the headlines - from deadly disease outbreaks and natural disasters, to growing malnutrition.If you would like to support our life-saving medical work around the world, please visit msf.org.uk to make a donation. Thank you.Presented by Amber DowellSound production and editing by Sandy McKeeWritten and produced by Kate LeeSeries production by Mark LankesterPhoto: MSF Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In almost any humanitarian crisis – from disease outbreaks to conflict zones – children are among the most vulnerable. Last year alone, almost half of all patients admitted to MSF hospitals around the world were children under the age of five. But, while access to medical care is absolutely essential, for our youngest patients, there is something else that improves their health, promotes recovery and helps them develop: play. In this episode of Everyday Emergency, we speak to Katherine Haciömeroğlu. She is a child life specialist who has been working with MSF teams around the world to harness the power of play and help children living through healthcare crises to access the benefits of this perhaps unexpected humanitarian work. If you would like to support our life-saving medical work around the world, please visit msf.org.uk to make a donation. Thank you. Presented by Amber Dowell Edited by Sandy McKee Photo: MSF Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The artist and political cartoonist Ella Baron has recently returned from Ukraine, where she worked with Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) patients to create a series of drawings and interviews about their experiences. The patients ranged from young men injured in drone attacks to grandmothers who have lost their homes and loved ones. The images go beyond simple portraits to explore the physical and emotional impact of the war. With the works now on display in a public exhibition at Kings College in London, Ella joins us for a special episode. Ella was in Ukraine on assignment for the Guardian, where her drawings were originally published. MSF teams were already working in Ukraine at the time of the full-scale invasion in 2022. Since then we have expanded our operations to cover mobile clinics, surgery, and mental health support. If you would like to support our life-saving medical work around the world, please visit msf.org.uk to make a donation. Thank you.Presented by Amber DowellSound production and editing by Sandy McKee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In February 2022, Yuliia Trofimova was a journalist living in Eastern Ukraine, where she’s from. With the violent escalation of the conflict with Russia, Yuliia and her colleagues in local media became war correspondents overnight.Today, Yuliia works as a field communications officer for MSF, travelling throughout the region to raise awareness of the health impacts of the war and the work of MSF’s medical, surgical and mental health teams as they provide essential care to people caught in the conflict.On this episode of Everyday Emergency, hear Yuliia share what it's like to bear witness to the war's impact on people's health, and its impact on her.If you would like to support our life-saving medical work around the world, please visit msf.org.uk to make a donation. Thank you.Presented by Amber DowellSound production and editing by Sandy McKee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

War has taken a heavy toll on the people of Syria. Since 2011, 14 million Syrians have had to flee the violence that wracked the country. They left behind their homes and livelihoods. Essential infrastructure has been destroyed, and many Syrians have been plunged into poverty, with very limited access to essential services like medical care. But late last year, the situation shifted, and MSF teams were able to travel to areas that had previously been inaccessible. Dr Ryan McHenry is an emergency medicine doctor who recently returned from the Syria. He joins us today to share his experiences in a country emerging from the shadows of war. If you would like to support our life-saving medical work around the world, please visit msf.org.uk to make a donation. Thank you. Presented by Amber Dowell Edited by Sandy McKee Produced by Mark Lankester Photo: MSF Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.