Unsafe abortion is a major cause of maternal death, and the only one that is completely preventable. Yet over 30 million unsafe abortions occur each year, leading to at least 29,000 deaths and millions of serious complications—nearly all in low- and middle-income countries. MSF teams see these tragic consequences first-hand, treating thousands of patients every year with severe, potentially life-threatening effects from unsafe abortion.

To mark International Safe Abortion Awareness Day (28 September 2024), this Collection presents highlights of MSF’s work on safe abortion care (SAC) as a way to reduce maternal death and injury. By re-assessing and reshaping how our projects deliver SAC in fragile and conflict-affected settings, we have been able to significantly expand services in those contexts and across MSF projects globally. In parallel, we also conducted in-depth studies of abortion complications and their contributing factors in fragile settings, where a dearth of evidence limits understanding of women's needs in accessing comprehensive care. These findings are helping to identify gaps in service delivery and inform operational decision-making.

On June 30th-July 1, 2022 the research team at Epicentre in Mbarara, Uganda held a two-day workshop about their recent work to address gaps in tuberculosis diagnostics and therapeutics in low-income countries. Sessions included:

• Landscape of TB disease in Uganda: research gaps

• New diagnostic tools and algorithms in adults

• New diagnostic tools and algorithms in children

• Approaches to increasing pediatric TB detection and reducing disease burden

• TB chemotherapeutics

• Perspectives and challenges in TB

To catch up on the presentations, you can view the abstracts through the link below.

Tuberculosis (TB) is the world's deadliest infectious disease, and the leading killer of people with HIV. TB is curable, but it can be difficult to diagnose and tough to treat, especially for increasingly prevalent drug-resistant TB. In 2023, 22,700 people started TB treatment in MSF programs. Understanding the costs and cost-effectiveness associated with TB treatment and innovations, ranging from TB diagnostics and medications to TB care models, can help to plan resource needs and allocate resources effectively. Analyzing financing mechanisms can support developing sustainable funding models for TB control.

This collection spotlights articles by MSF and collaborators to analyze and document the costs of care, particularly diagnostics and medications.