The climate crisis and health in humanitarian settings

Every year 2 million or more people fall victim to snakebite envenoming, mostly in poor, rural communities of Africa, Asia and Latin America. Between 83,000—138,000 of them die, while hundreds of thousands more suffer debilitating long-term complications or disabilities.

Although some antivenom medicines are highly effective when used promptly and appropriately, many snakebite victims get no treatment at all. Those who do may receive antivenoms which don’t work against the type of snake that bit them, or were not rigorously tested for safety and effectiveness.

To mark World Snakebite Awareness Day on September 19th, the Collection linked below brings together recent MSF work on this highly neglected disease. Several articles and conference presentations help fill evidence gaps on the burden of disease and its impacts or on treatment outcomes with specific antivenoms in specific regions. Others examine how to tackle the formidable challenges of availability and affordability, the absence of regulatory oversight for making, testing and registering antivenoms, and the anemic R&D pipeline for new products—all of which impede access for patients to safe, effective treatment tailored to local snake species.

Globally, the number of older people is rapidly increasing, with those aged 60+ expected to more than double by 2050—yet in humanitarian crises, they remain one of the most neglected groups. Older adults often face higher risks due to chronic illnesses, mobility issues, and limited access to appropriate care, especially in low-resource or emergency settings. Despite these needs, humanitarian responses rarely prioritize them, and data on their health and mortality are often lacking.

This collection reflects MSF’s ongoing examination of its own data and practices to identify pathways toward more age-inclusive services in humanitarian crises. It includes analysis of data from MSF-supported mental health services, inpatient departments, and sexual violence services, and further offers several calls to action and reflections on why older people remain overlooked in humanitarian crises. However, MSF also acknowledges major challenges remain, including inadequate age-inclusive services, data gaps, and the need for more geriatric expertise.

Watch this space for more publications from a Lancet Healthy Longevity series on healthcare rights and needs of older people.