Msf182689 South Sudanese Refugees Uganda Pic 6

Refugees, IDPs and people on the move

Measles kills more than 200,000 people each year – mostly children aged under five – although a cheap and effective vaccine has existed for over half a century.

In 2019, there were 870,000 cases of measles reported – the highest number in nearly a quarter of a century – and nearly 208,000 deaths. The disease is extremely contagious, yet easily preventable with two doses of a vaccine. MSF has vaccinated over 30 million children against measles since 2006. Outbreaks are fuelled by weak public immunisation systems and low vaccination coverage, including in areas of conflict and among high numbers of people living in close quarters, such as refugee camps.

MSF, Doctors Without Borders, Detention in Lithuania

Asylum seekers

Prolonged detention of over 2,500 people in Lithuania must end now

6 May 2022

Mediterranean migration

Every year, thousands of people fleeing war, persecution and poverty at home attempt the treacherous journey across the Mediterranean. Countless lives are lost on the way.

Closing safe and legal options for people to reach Europe pushes them further into people smugglers' networks. In Libya, the detention of migrants and refugees is a thriving enterprise of kidnapping and extortion.

MSF is saving the lives of people trying to cross the central Mediterranean Sea with our own search and rescue vessel, Geo Barents. We also provide assistance to people held in Libyan detention centres and those arriving in Europe.

LEARN MORE

3 things to know - the impact of migration policies

The EU's migration policies are having a direct impact across the Mediterranean Sea while people are trying to flee dangerous conditions in Libya. Here are three ways that the EU's policies on migration impact on the lives of people trying to seek safety