Eight months: MSF treats 52,725 children, as malnourition surges in Northern Nigeria

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also popularly as Doctors Without Borders, has raised alarm over the continuous severe malnutrition crisis affecting children in northern Nigeria.

According to the MSF, the number of children admitted to MSF treatment centres with severe malnutrition has increased by 51% in the first eight months of 2024 compared to the same period last year.

This was contained in a statement by the MSF International President, Dr Christos Christou that between January and August this year, MSF has seen a fifty-one per cent increase in admissions of children with severe malnutrition, compared to the same period last year.

He highlighted the devastating impact of the crisis, stating that, for the past few years, MSF has seen a significant increase in the number of admissions for malnutrition.

“Over the first eight months of this year, we have treated 52,725 children with severe malnutrition, a life-threatening condition, across the whole of northern Nigeria.
“The numbers in 2022 and 2023 were already critically high.This year is very different. Every year, during this season, we see terrible numbers of malnourished children coming to the hospital in a severe condition. We have seen a fifty-one per cent increase in admissions of children with severe malnutrition,” Christou said.
On the recent flooding in Maiduguri, Christos Christou said that it has further compounded the challenges faced by affected communities.

“Many people have lost their homes, livelihoods, and access to necessities. The flooding has also disrupted healthcare services and hindered efforts to address the malnutrition crisis,” he said.
According to him, MSF has been providing essential medical care, including treatment for malaria, malnutrition, and other diseases, in affected areas.

He lamented that the organisation’s resources are stretched thin, and it is struggling to meet the growing needs of the population.

He urged the humanitarian community to intensify life-saving care for malnourished children and enhance vaccination coverage to prevent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases and continued investment in basic healthcare and emergency response is crucial to address the devastating crisis in northern Nigeria.