Everyday Emergency

There’s a health condition which affects around one child in every 16 worldwide. It can be deadly in itself, but it puts people at increased risk from other diseases too.
It frequently hits hardest in places affected by climate change and armed conflict: places where health systems have broken down. In most cases, the world knows how to prevent it, and yet it keeps happening. Malnutrition is about much more than just food.

On this episode of the podcast we're joined by MSF nutrition specialist Dr Kirrily de Polnay, and Ibrahim Ali Mohamed, MSF's Outreach Activities Manager in Baidoa, Somalia. Together they tell us why malnutrition is a health emergency, and what MSF is doing to tackle it.

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Photo: Mohamud Moktar, a community health worker measures a child's mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) at an internally displaced persons (IDP) site in Baidoa, Somalia. The measurement is part of a cluster-wide assessment to screen for malnutrition among displaced mothers and children in IDPs of Baidoa.
© Yahya Mohammed/MSF
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The word healing can mean different things.

Around the world, MSF teams are caring for people caught in conflict zones, escaping violence, or trying to rebuild their lives after being forced to flee.

However, the wounds that many carry with them are not always physical, and they are rarely simple. Mental health conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can affect every aspect of a person's life. But recovery can take time and is rarely possible whilst a person is still living with uncertainty and fear.

This means that, for many refugees and people seeking asylum, healing might just seem impossible.

For today's episode of Everyday Emergency, we're joined by members of an MSF team who are treating PTSD in people who have sought refuge in the UK, around the city of Birmingham.

To find out more about MSF or to make a donation, please visit msf.org.uk

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Presented by Amber Dowell
Edited by Sandy McKee
Series producer: Mark Lankester
Photo: MSF

Note: Due to the current rise of anti-refugee sentiment in the UK and incidents of our staff being harassed, we've changed the names of the team members we've interviewed for this episode.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The current outbreak of Ebola disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has become the third largest on record. It is also the fastest-growing.

As of 26 July 2026, more than 3,200 cases have been confirmed, of which 1,400 people have lost their lives.

Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) teams have been on the ground since the early stages of the outbreak, working in partnership with local communities and the Congolese health authorities to treat critically ill patients and help contain the disease itself.

But what is it like to be part of the team on the frontline of this humanitarian emergency?

Dr Johnny Falconer is a medical doctor, currently completing his mandatory isolation after working in Ituri province, one of the areas hardest hit by the outbreak. He joined us from Kinshasa, capital of the DRC, to share his experience.

To find out more about MSF or to make a donation, please visit msf.org.uk

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Presented by Amber Dowell
Edited by Sandy McKee
Series producer: Mark Lankester

Photo: Julien Dewarichet / MSF
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Right now, Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) teams are working to provide life-saving care in crises around the world. But what about the lives that can’t be saved? Ciara Flood is an MSF nurse with a special interest in palliative care. She joins us today to talk about reducing suffering, crossing cultures, and putting patients first.

To find out more about MSF or to make a donation, please visit msf.org.uk

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Presented by Amber Dowell
Edited by Sandy McKee
Associate producer: Kate Lee
Series producer: Mark Lankester

Photo: Victor Oriema, MSF supported MOH palliative care nurse checks the vitals of Monica Anyango Onduko, a patient in palliative care during a home-based care visit. MSF and MoH teams in Homa Bay currently manage 39 patients in home-based palliative care.
Copyright: Lucy Makori/MSF
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every May in London, Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) hosts Scientific Days, an annual innovation conference.
The event brings together medical and humanitarian experts from around the world to share the research they have been doing into the conditions and crises that they face every day.
In this episode of Everyday Emergency, we spoke to three specialists about their research and how it could help patients.
From a game-changing antivenom to new tools in malaria prevention and the science of documenting traumatic injuries in Gaza, this is a behind-the-scenes look at life-saving innovation.

Speakers:
Matt Coldiron
Alan de Lima Pereira
Jenna Hoyt
Sohaib Safi

Presented by Amber Dowell
Edited by Sandy McKee
Associate producer: Kate Lee
Series producer: Mark Lankester
Photo: Toks Adeola
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.