The coronavirus pandemic has reached camps for displaced people in South Sudan, where the number of positive tests for COVID-19 has jumped from six to more than 200 in the last two weeks. And it has our teams on the ground worried.

In these camps where access to water and soap is already scarce, up to 12 family members may live together in a small space, making basic measures to protect oneself impossible—and the spread of the virus nearly inevitable.

But that’s only the latest threat for people who have been forced from their homes: Coronavirus is poised to make an already dire situation much worse. South Sudanese people have experienced violent conflict, off and on, for decades. Their health system is among the world’s most fragile. Many are already in need of treatment for other health conditions—like malnutrition and malaria—and are now facing community transmission of COVID-19 in the camps.

As Claudio Miglietta, MSF’s head of mission in South Sudan, reports:

“The pandemic is having a significant impact on our ability to provide key lifesaving services. Other diseases, as well as conflict and violence, have not been put on hold because of COVID-19. Malaria, measles, pneumonia, and acute watery diarrhea still kill tens of thousands of people, chronic patients continue to need medication, war wounded [people] need surgery, and mothers are still delivering babies every day.”

With World Refugee Day a few weeks away, all of us here at Doctors Without Borders are reflecting on the profound impact this pandemic will have on the lives of those forced from home in search of safety. That’s why, during the month of June, we will be sharing information about the work we’re doing to care for refugees and other displaced people around the world and protect them from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read more about our efforts to help displaced people in South Sudan—including more of Claudio Miglietta’s eyewitness account.

Wishing you and your loved ones well during these exceptionally challenging times.

Sincerely,

Avril Benoît
Executive Director
Doctors Without Borders USA