Some 2,000 mainly Syrian refugees are arriving each day in Roszke, on the border between Serbia and Hungary. They are physically weak and psychologically fragile after difficult journeys crossing numerous countries.
“The needs in Roszke are enormous,” says Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) emergency coordinator Teresa Sancristoval.
“This is often the first place they stop to rest after having been on the road for weeks since setting off from Greece. They need information, food, water, latrines, showers and protection from the cold, as temperatures can drop to three degrees at night.
"With heavy rain now falling, the conditions are worsening. We have to be ready with assistance, as this situation is likely to continue for a while."
Mobile clinic at the border
An MSF team is running a mobile clinic which has treated 400 people in four days. Six in ten are children with respiratory problems; three in ten are women, many of them pregnant.
The team has also treated men with infected wounds from scaling fences. According to medical staff, the exhausting journey has lowered their immune systems, while those suffering from chronic diseases have had no access to medication.
Negotiations are ongoing with the Hungarian government for MSF to expand activities and help improve the quality of services offered to refugees crossing the border from Serbia into Hungary.
