Interview with Bjorn Nissen, MSF’s head of mission in India

In India, the relief effort continues in the northern state of Bihar. But three weeks after heavy floods devastated large swathes of the northern plains, many people remain stranded and have only received little aid. Access to large parts of the flooded areas is difficult because of the sheer amount of water discharged by the river Kosi and the lack of passable roads. MSF is providing medical assistance and distribution of non-food items (NFIs) http://www.msf.org.za/articles/article_India_Floods_120908.htmlto victims in the most affected areas. MSF’s head of mission, Bjorn Nissen gives more details about the intervention: Our mobile clinics are providing medical assistance to victims of the floods in the most affected districts of Araria, Supaul, Saharsa, Madhepura and Purnia. We’ve also conducted emergency relief distribution of NFIs, such as plastic sheeting, jerrycans, water purification tablets, soaps and aim to cover around 7,500 families, which is around 42,000 people. At the same time, we continue to assess the situation in camps and settlements, conduct disease surveillance and see what mechanisms are in place to respond to any epidemic outbreak.
We focus on isolated displaced communities, where access is difficult, and neglected groups such as pregnant and lactating women, and children under five. According to the latest National Family Health Survey, six percent of children under five are suffering from severe or acute malnutrition in Bihar state and, obviously, this emergency compounds the situation. Malnutrition is the main health issue we have come across and the situation is likely to further deteriorate. MSF provides food therapy including Plumpy-nut® to those in need. We’ve also met with local health authorities and actors to push and help them to cover the specific needs of this population.