MSF treats 357,000 malnourished children in northern Nigeria in 2024

Doctors Without Borders, also known as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), has announced that it treated 46,304 children for malnutrition in Kano in 2024, part of the 357,000 it treated across northern Nigeria.

The organisation disclosed this information in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.

MSF noted a significant increase in the number of children suffering from malnutrition, with the rise in admissions serving as evidence.

In 2022, the organisation treated 7,798 children for malnutrition; that number increased to 23,800 in 2023 and 46,304 in 2024.

It said from January to May 2024, around 9,000 out of the 14,000 children diagnosed with malnutrition also tested positive for malaria during screening.

MSF explained that malaria and malnutrition have a complex relationship, where malnutrition increases the risk of malaria, and malaria worsens the effects of malnutrition, creating a harmful cycle, especially in children under five.

MSF’s Medical Coordinator in Nigeria, Yanu Mbuyi, explained that malaria reduces appetite and hinders nutrient absorption, which leads to malnutrition, while malnutrition weakens the immune system, making children more vulnerable to infections such as malaria.

It said MSF’s activities in Kano began in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and later expanded to include support for the growing malnutrition crisis.

The organisation called for the establishment of outpatient feeding centres across all Local Government Areas in Kano to improve community-based management of malnutrition and reduce severe cases.

Looking ahead to 2025, MSF will shift its health promotion efforts toward community education, helping families recognise the early signs of malnutrition and intervene before hospitalisation is necessary.

MSF also called for intensified efforts from health authorities, international organisations, and donors to address the escalating malnutrition crisis in Kano and northern Nigeria to prevent further loss of life in 2025.

On a broader scale, MSF highlighted that since 2022, the organisation has raised concerns about the increasing number of children admitted for malnutrition at its facilities across northern Nigeria.

It said in 2024, MSF treated more than 357,000 children for malnutrition in northern Nigeria, a 35 per cent increase compared to 2023.

It said among those treated in 2024, 75,000 required inpatient care, while 282,000 received outpatient treatment.

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The organisation attributed the persistent malnutrition crisis to inflation, food insecurity, inadequate healthcare infrastructure, ongoing security issues, and disease outbreaks exacerbated by low vaccine coverage.

MSF stressed that addressing acute malnutrition in northern Nigeria requires a multi-faceted approach, including strengthening healthcare facilities, reinforcing vaccination programmes, enhancing access to nutritious food, and improving water and sanitation.

MSF is a humanitarian organisation that provides medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare.

(NAN)