Médecins Sans Frontières, also known as Doctors Without Borders, says it treated 444,723 children for malnutrition in Nigeria in 2025.

The Country Representative, Ahmed Aldikhari, said this on Wednesday in Abuja during the unveiling of the organisation’s Nigeria Activity Report for 2025.

Aldikhari said 353,989 children with severe acute malnutrition were treated through MSF-supported outpatient programmes, while 90,723 children requiring specialised care were admitted into stabilisation centres nationwide.

According to him, the figures represent a 20 per cent increase in severe acute malnutrition cases treated and a 15 per cent rise in admissions compared to 2024.

He said MSF teams had observed a steady rise in malnutrition cases across northern Nigeria since 2022, with 2025 marking the peak of the crisis so far.

“Malnutrition is not only about lack of food.

“It is closely linked to preventable diseases such as measles, diphtheria, meningitis and malaria, which weaken children further and push them into severe malnutrition,” he said.

Aldikhari identified conflict, insecurity, inflation, displacement, flooding and drought as factors limiting access to healthcare services and adequate food supplies across affected communities.

He said MSF provided inpatient and outpatient care, Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food, vaccination campaigns and nutrition interventions using locally available nutrient-rich foods such as Tom Brown.

Speaking on government response, Aldikhari said MSF was collaborating with key ministries and engaging the Presidency to ensure the malnutrition crisis received sustained national attention.

“Last year, we had the biggest conference for combating malnutrition in the Northwest, where we also had commitments from governors to ensure action is taken.

“We are beginning to see some action, but these actions are still not enough,” he said.

He also warned of a widening global funding gap caused by donor withdrawal, emphasising that governments and communities must strengthen food systems and healthcare delivery mechanisms.

On disease outbreaks, the Medical Activity Manager, Shafa’atu Abdulkadir, said MSF treated 38,753 children for measles and 6,123 for diphtheria nationwide in 2025.

She added that 985 patients were treated for meningitis, while 341,239 people received treatment for malaria across MSF-supported facilities in the country.

According to Abdulkadir, MSF also supported vaccination of more than 300,000 children against measles, meningitis and diphtheria through nationwide immunisation campaigns.

She said Nigeria continued to face seasonal outbreaks of cholera, Lassa fever, meningitis, measles, diphtheria and typhoid fever, especially during the rainy season annually.

Abdulkadir emphasised that many disease outbreaks remained preventable through vaccination, timely diagnosis, safe water access and early treatment interventions in vulnerable communities.

The Medical Coordinator, Louis Vala, said Nigeria remained among countries with the highest maternal and newborn mortality rates globally in spite of existing interventions.

According to him, MSF assisted 33,590 deliveries, conducted 119,469 antenatal consultations and carried out 224 Vesico-Vaginal Fistula surgeries during the reporting period.

Vala said access to emergency obstetric and newborn care remained limited in many rural and conflict-affected communities because of insecurity, cost and overstretched healthcare facilities.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Médecins Sans Frontières has operated in Nigeria since 1996, responding to disease outbreaks, disasters, emergency health needs and gaps in healthcare access nationwide.

The organisation supports paediatric and maternal healthcare, treatment for malnutrition, tuberculosis, measles and malaria, while also providing mental health services and care for survivors of sexual violence.

MSF also conducts reconstructive surgeries for noma and fistula patients and operated across 10 states in 2025, including Bauchi, Borno, Cross River, Ebonyi, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara.

The organisation additionally established a new presence in Kaduna and responded to medical emergencies in Benue, Plateau and Taraba states in 2026.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Abiemwense Moru

Technology Times Newsroom

𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐚𝐭 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚’𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟒.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧-𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐡 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚’𝐬 𝐯𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦.

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐬𝐀𝐩𝐩: +𝟐𝟑𝟒 𝟐𝟎𝟏 𝟒𝟓𝟒 𝟏𝟖𝟏𝟖.