@doctorswithoutborders

On top of already experiencing burnout, fear, or anxiety this year, adjusting amid new challenges comes with added stress as we navigate through this. The pandemic isn’t over, but just because we’re all going through this doesn’t mean you need to bury your thoughts- please share what you’re feeling with loved ones or a counselor. Continue to take care of yourself.

We’re all dealing with higher levels of stress and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the vital importance of mental health care has become all the more obvious. ⠀ On , these are some tips we give our aid workers that can help you cope with the stress of pandemic times. ⠀ Illustration by: @maroonhorizon

We see you. ⁣ ⁣ ⁣

Unsafe abortion is one of the leading causes of maternal deaths worldwide, and now the global pandemic is disproportionately impacting the health needs of women and girls. Shutdowns, delays, and disruptions of these essential services are having devastating effects. ⠀ That's why MSF teams around the world are finding ways to make sure women continue to have access to their chosen contraception methods and to safe abortion care.

It’s time to break the silence—and the stigma: safe abortion care is essential health care. ⠀ Someone you know or love may have had an abortion, but we just don’t talk about it openly. When we talk about abortion as an essential health service, we can demystify all the negative attitudes, shame, misinformation, and stigma associated with unwanted pregnancies and abortion itself.

We see the lifelong & even fatal consequences of unsafe abortions in our hospitals & clinics. Let's talk about safe abortion: an abortion with pills is safe and effective—the chance of severe complications is less than 1%. ⠀ Abortion medication is actually so safe that home-based and self-managed care is possible, but in many of the emergency and crisis settings we work in, access is far from guaranteed. Tomorrow is International Safe Abortion Day and we’re highlighting the need for . Link in bio for more info.

“My job is to make sure the rescued people are given a supportive and safe environment. They need to feel able to share their journeys and experiences, and allow their vulnerabilities to find voice...Through understanding what people go through, we are better able to advocate on behalf of those who have attempted this journey of life or death across the world’s deadliest maritime border, and to speak out on the preventable tragedies and repeated injustices that may otherwise have sunk silently below the sea.” - Ilina Angelova, part of the MSF team aboard Sea-Watch 4.⁣ ⁣ The situation at sea remains dire—In August, 111 people were reported dead or missing in the central Mediterranean, making it the deadliest month there so far this year. Since the beginning of 2020, almost 8,000 people have been intercepted at sea and forced back to Libya—a 32-percent increase from the same period last year—despite the fact that Libya is not a safe place for migrants and refugees. Currently Sea-Watch 4 remains detained by Italian port authorities, unable to carry out search and rescue activities.⁣ ⁣ © Hannah Wallace Bowman/MSF Pictured: On August 24, Sea-Watch 4 with @seawatchcrew completed its third rescue in 48 hours. Evacuated in a heavy swell, many of the survivors were hypothermic, disoriented and smelled strongly of gasoline. Emergency showers were provided for fuel exposure.⁣

This is why we are here. These are the survivors who risked the deadly sea to try to find safety and a better life.⁣ ⁣ The MSF medical team treated people at the ship clinic for chemical burns, dehydration, hypothermia, and other traumatic injuries. They witnessed a range of medical needs: One teenager was so badly burned that we had to arrange a medical evacuation. Teams also treated broken limbs and trauma injuries consistent with reports of abuse and torture in Libya.⁣ ⁣ After launching it's first lifesaving voyage on August 15, the ship Sea Watch 4 rescued 354 people in the central Mediterranean, including men, unaccompanied teenagers, families, women traveling alone, people with disabilities, pregnant mothers and young children.⁣ ⁣ © Hannah Wallace Bowman/MSF and photos 6,7,8 Chris Grodotzki/Sea-Watch.org⁣

BREAKING: Search and rescue ship Sea-Watch 4 has been detained and blocked from leaving the port of Palermo, Sicily. It's only been one month since we've relaunched lifesaving search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean. ⠀ Italian authorities are using overzealous inspections as a pretense to prevent humanitarians from saving lives, and European states continue to use the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to block search and rescue activities. The new ship, Sea-Watch 4 with @seawatchcrew, is one of the few hopes for survival in the Mediterranean. Over 350 people had been rescued within it's first few weeks at sea. ⠀ Let's be clear: many people attempt the perilous journey across the sea from Libya because it’s the only option they have for safety. Men, women, and children fleeing extreme violence, persecution, and poverty in their home countries are routinely caught and held in inhumane Libyan detention centers. ⠀ Link in bio and click this photo again to learn more about the situation for migrants and refugees crossing the sea, and why aid organizations are trying to fill a deadly gap left by European states. ⠀ © Thomas Lohnes

This is Doctor Fernanda Abrantes, taking off her personal protective equipment at the MSF care center for mild and moderate cases of COVID-19 in São Gabriel da Cachoeira. ⠀ At the center, where more than 90% of the population are of indigenous origin, we’ve adapted to suit local traditions: indigenous patients with COVID-19 can stay with a caregiver during their stay, something that is not usually allowed in hospitals. In addition, traditional medicines used by many people in the region are accepted at our treatment center and can be taken with treatments we’re offering if the combination doesn’t cause any adverse effects. Shamans, spiritual leaders of indigenous communities, can visit and perform rituals as long as they use personal protective equipment. ⠀ © @diego_baravelli

Traveling along the Amazon river in boat clinics --- Tefé has a primary healthcare boat that brings a basic medical service to communities living along the river, and smaller boats that can go house to house. It was vitally important to prevent patients and health staff from becoming contaminated during consultations. The MSF infection-control team worked with the municipal health systems' staff and boat crew, providing trainings on infection prevention and emergency respiratory care. For the house to house visits, staff would give health education to the communities. ⠀ © @diego_baravelli

“We had COVID-19 response teams in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, and then the bad news started coming from the interior”, said Antonio Flores, medical coordinator for the MSF team that came to Manaus, the capital city of Amazonas state, back in April 2020. COVID-19 had already been silently spreading upriver and into the rainforest. ⠀ “It was worse than we had feared. When I arrived in Manaus, the grave diggers were working beyond capacity, all the hospital intensive care units (ICUs) were overflowing with dying patients, and there were lists with hundreds of severely sick people waiting in health centers for an intensive care hospital bed to become free." ⠀ Visit the link in bio and click this image again to learn more about MSF’s COVID-19 response in the Amazon region. Pictured: July 2020: getting a blood test from this little one on board a primary health care boat, upriver from the Amazonian town of Tefé. © @diego_baravelli