Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, has raised concerns over a sharp increase in cases of child malnutrition in Kebbi State, revealing that more than 400 malnourished children are being admitted daily at its facilities.
The organisation attributed the surge to limited access to healthcare, high inflation, poverty, desertification, and low agricultural productivity during the planting season.
MSF said the situation has become overwhelming and urgently requires support from other humanitarian agencies and international partners.
Dr. Hamza Bello, a senior medical officer overseeing the Maiyama Inpatient Therapeutic Feeding Centre (ITFC), explained that many parents now travel up to 100 kilometres to access the free services provided by MSF.
“There is an unprecedented increase in the number of malnourished children. Over 400 per day in some cases.
“August used to be the peak and the situation may get worse,” Bello said.
He further stressed that MSF remains the only international organisation currently treating cases of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) in Kebbi.
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“We are overwhelmed by the situation and there is an urgent need for multi-actor support,” he added.
Providing statistics, Dr. Bello disclosed that in 2022, 2,652 inpatients were recorded. In 2024, the number of children treated for SAM rose dramatically to 51,139, while 9,747 cases of Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) were also handled five times the figure from the previous year.
For 2025 alone, he said that within just a few weeks, the centre has already admitted 1,494 and 1,647 patients respectively, prompting an urgent expansion of bed space.
Bello appealed to other international organisations to intervene and support MSF’s efforts.
“The state government is trying to complement our work, but we need more hands to curb this surge,” he said.