Tag: MSF

@MSF Video for World #AIDS Day: People with #HIV still face major hurdles

by Jessica, posted in HIV/AIDS, Information and Social Media

Note: This was cross-posted to my own blog.

Another year and another December mark the passage of another World AIDS Day. This has been an exciting year for HIV research and policy, with the WHO updating guidelines to recommend that anyone diagnosed with HIV get on ARVs, PrEP gaining traction in the US (even in my own Lone Star State!) and approval in France, new optimism in the effort to development a vaccine, and talk of ending AIDS by 2030. Aw, yeah.

Alas, we are not there yet – and World AIDS Day is an important day to remember that. While many countries have turned the tide of their HIV epidemics, it is getting worse in several others and, in South Korea’s case, presents the potential for a fast-approaching crisis. MSF is always a good resource for bringing optimists back to reality. In this video, they remind us that in order to keep up the progress we have made against AIDS by treating HIV, we need to make sure that those who are infected stay in care – which will take sustained efforts in treatment, policy, and funding.

MSF Video: HIV/AIDS in Yemen

by ihsection, posted in Information and Social Media

This video, done by Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), focuses on the stigma faced by individuals with HIV/AIDS in Yemen. The HIV prevalence rate in Yemen, and in the Middle East in general, is very low compared with most other regions in the world. However, individuals with HIV face intense stigma and discrimination from family, society, and healthcare providers. In addition to several doctors and project managers, two people with HIV are interview and tell the stories of how they were refused treatment and cast off by their families. It is an interesting look at HIV in a region that typically receives very little attention for it.


HIV is not a major epidemic in Yemen; prevalence is estimated at about 0.2 per cent of the population. However, people living with HIV face stigma and discrimination almost everywhere, even in some health facilities. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is working to provide treatment and help fight the stigma

MSF Video: “A Humiliating Situation,” Syrian Refugees in Lebanon

by ihsection, posted in Conflict and Health, Information and Social Media

This is a video by MSF taking a special look at Syrian refugees who have fled to Lebanon to escape the country’s civil war. It is necessary reminder of the urgency of what is currently the world’s largest refugee crisis.


Meet some of the more than 120,000 Syrian refugees living in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon while their country is at war. Families are living in camps, unfinished houses, and abandoned buildings. They are not getting adequate aid.

Documentary Film Trailer: “Access to the Danger Zone”

by ihsection, posted in APHA IH Section

Related to my recent post on the subject of negotiating humanitarian access is this upcoming documentary by MSF. The official description reads, “Directed by Peter Casaer and narrated by Daniel Day-Lewis, this documentary provides a harrowing look at the challenges of delivering humanitarian aid in armed conflicts.”

Novartis: Court Case in India Begins (MSF Video)

by ihsection, posted in Information and Social Media

This post was written by Nicolle Rueras.

A recent court case between the Indian Government and pharmaceutical company, Novartis, has caused a stir in the global community. Novartis is challenging Section 3(d) of India’s Patent Act, which requires companies to prove that their drug is more successful than alternative treatments for a disease to receive or extend a patent.

To get around this regulation, many companies begin “evergreening” – making minor changes to a drug that may not improve its efficacy but claim it does in order to extend its patent. If Novartis succeeds, this may open the door for other companies to follow suit, ultimately driving up prices for crucial medicines produced in India and needed around the world.