Each year hundreds of millions of people suffer from chronic or acute liver disease caused by hepatitis viruses, and over one million die. To mark World Hepatitis Day (July 28th) we bring you a selection of MSF research exploring how to better prevent, identify and treat hepatitis infection in lower-income countries and emergency contexts where the burden is heaviest. For example, in a South Sudanese camp for displaced people—a type of setting where poor sanitation and water quality regularly lead to hepatitis E outbreaks—MSF and the Ministry of Health (MoH) are conducting the world’s first reactive vaccination campaign against this disease, and evaluating the process and outcomes. In Cambodia, MSF and MoH collaborators found that a simplified community-based model of care for hepatitis C was safe and highly effective in diagnosing patients and in curing them with new antiviral drugs. It was also cost-effective, according to studies in several countries and patient populations. And these new drugs were safe and effective even in patients also being treated for drug-resistant tuberculosis.

Resistance to antibiotics is a growing public health crisis, especially in countries with fragile health systems and in regions at war. The World Health Organization has estimated that antibiotic-resistant bacteria caused nearly 1.3 million deaths in 2019, a toll that will increase significantly in the coming years if effective action is not taken. To mark World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2022 (18-24 November) we present a snapshot of MSF’s recent work on responding to this growing threat. Since many humanitarian settings lack laboratory capacity to diagnose these infections, MSF and partners have developed two new technologies with the potential to dramatically expand the availability of accurate diagnosis—allowing clinicians to then tailor antibiotic treatment accordingly. Other work from diverse contexts describes practices and challenges related to optimizing rational antibiotic use within health facilities and communities. Lastly, several studies characterize the patterns and prevalence of antibiotic resistance among MSF patients, from hospitalized neonates in Central African Republic to acute trauma patients in Haiti and Yemen.