MSF treats 3,265 malnourished children in Borno amid measles spike

The Médecins Sans Frontières, also known as Doctors Without Borders, has said that since late August and early September, its teams have scaled up their medical response in Maiduguri, Borno State, northeast Nigeria, following a sharp rise in malnutrition cases that overwhelmed MSF-supported facilities.

MSF disclosed this in a press statement made available to our correspondent on Thursday.

It noted that although admissions have slightly decreased now, “the number of children receiving treatment remains very high.”

Nigeria continues to grapple with a multifaceted humanitarian crisis, with conflict and food insecurity driving suffering in the BAY (Borno, Adamawa, Yobe) states.

According to the March 2025 Cadre Harmonisé, about 4.6 million people will face crisis- or emergency-level food insecurity during the peak lean season (June–September).

According to the United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, conflict and insecurity have disrupted livelihoods, limited farmland access, and escalated malnutrition, projected to affect 2.6 million children under five in 2025, including one million at risk of severe acute malnutrition, double the 2024 figure (UNICEF).

UNOCHA said insecurity, extreme weather, high food prices, and funding cuts have worsened conditions.

MSF Project Coordinator, Daniela Batista said, “A month ago, we witnessed a worrying increase in admissions, compounded by a surge in measles cases.

“Our isolation units for measles patients were quickly filled, and even the additional space we opened reached capacity. Now, those units remain around 70 percent full.”

The organisation highlighted that since September 8, its Inpatient Therapeutic Feeding Centre at Nilefa Kiji Hospital in Maiduguri has nearly doubled its bed capacity to accommodate the influx of malnourished children, and by the third week of September, the emergency facility was recording an average of more than 85 new admissions daily.

“In a context of reduced global humanitarian funding, some organizations in Maiduguri reduced their support for – or even left – nutritional outpatient nutrition programmes, causing a significant drop in access for first-line care for malnourished children.

“At MSF’s extension facility in Shuwari, teams treated 3,265 children for malnutrition and referred 1,521 others for continued care between August and early September, when the upsurge began. More than 625 malnourished children have also been treated for measles — a disease that can contribute to malnutrition and whose complications can result from malnutrition.”

“The situation is further exacerbated by shortages of essential supplies. Therapeutic milk — critical for treating severe acute malnutrition — is in short supply, while access to ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) remains a chronic concern. Some partner ITFCs have indicated they can only accept referrals if MSF provides additional medical supplies such as antibiotics, admission kits, and therapeutic milk,” the statement noted.

It emphasised that MSF teams also reported regular admissions of patients from Zabarmari — a community they are currently unable to access due to security and logistical challenges.

MSF is engaging with the Borno State Ministry of Health to assess and potentially support the local Primary Health Centre (PHC) to ensure residents can access care.

“Borno State continues to face the effects of a decade-long insurgency, with recent reports of violence in areas surrounding Maiduguri.

“This surge in Maiduguri mirrors an alarming trend seen in all MSF nutrition facilities across Kebbi, Sokoto, Kano, Katsina, and Bauchi in recent months,” it stated.

Meanwhile, MSF calls on health authorities and humanitarian organizations to urgently address the shortages in medical supplies and staffing, and to strengthen community-level health systems to prevent further deterioration.

Cupped from punch.