An international medical humanitarian organisation, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, has treated 3,265 children for malnutrition and referred 1,521 others for continued care between August and early September, 2,925 at its MSF extension facility in Shuwari in Maiduguri, Borno State.
Additionally, more than 625 malnourished children have been treated for measles, a disease which can contribute to malnutrition and whose complications can result from malnutrition.
MSF noted that its teams have scaled up their medical response in Maiduguri following a sharp rise in malnutrition cases that overwhelmed MSF-supported facilities, adding that, though admissions have slightly decreased now, the number of children receiving treatment remains very high.
In a statement on Thursday in Abuja, MSF Project Coordinator Daniela Batist noted that the organisation, about a month ago, witnessed a worrying increase in admissions, compounded by a surge in measles cases.
She observed that MSF isolation units for measles patients were quickly filled, stressing that even the additional space that was opened reached capacity. “Now, those units remain around 70 per cent full,” she added.
The organisation stated that, since 8 September 2025, MSF’s Inpatient Therapeutic Feeding Centre (ITFC) at Nilefa Kiji Hospital (NKH) has nearly doubled its bed capacity to accommodate the influx of malnourished children, adding that by the third week of September, the emergency facility was recording an average of more than 85 new admissions daily.
MSF disclosed that, due to reduced global humanitarian funding, some organisations in Maiduguri reduced their support for—or even left—nutritional outpatient programmes, causing a significant drop in access for first-line care for malnourished children.
According to MSF, the situation is further exacerbated by shortages of essential supplies and therapeutic milk, which is critical for treating severe acute malnutrition. Access to ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) also remains a chronic concern.
The organisation noted that some partner ITFCs have indicated they can only accept referrals if MSF provides additional medical supplies such as antibiotics, admission kits, and therapeutic milk.
MSF teams also reported regular admissions of patients from Zabarmari, a community they are currently unable to access due to security and logistical challenges, adding that the organisation 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.
The statement read: “Borno State continues to face the effects of a decade-long insurgency, with recent reports of violence in areas surrounding Maiduguri.”
It emphasised that the malnutrition surge in Maiduguri mirrors an alarming trend seen in all MSF nutrition facilities across Kebbi, Sokoto, Kano, Katsina, and Bauchi in recent months.
According to UN estimates, 2.5 million children across northeast Nigeria are at risk of acute malnutrition.
MSF called on health authorities and humanitarian organisations to urgently address the shortages in medical supplies and staffing, and to strengthen community-level health systems to prevent further deterioration.
