Over 440,000 Children Treated For Malnutrition As MSF Raises Alarm

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Médecins Sans Frontières, has disclosed that more than 440,000 children were treated for malnutrition in Nigeria in 2025, as the organisation warned of worsening healthcare challenges driven by disease outbreaks, insecurity and poverty.

The humanitarian organisation made this known in a statement made available to LEADERSHIP through its spokesman, Abdulkareem Yakubu, shortly after presenting its 2025 Nigeria Country Activity Report in Abuja.

According to the statement, MSF teams treated over 440,000 children for malnutrition, more than 300,000 people for malaria, and assisted in over 33,500 deliveries across several underserved and crisis-affected communities in the country.

MSF said the rising malnutrition crisis in northern Nigeria had continued to worsen since 2022, with 2025 recording the highest number of admissions handled by its teams in recent years.

In the statement, the organisation revealed that 353,989 children with severe acute malnutrition were treated through outpatient programmes. In comparison, 90,723 children suffering from acute malnutrition with medical complications were admitted into inpatient stabilisation centres.

MSF Country Representative in Nigeria, Ahmed Aldikhari, described the figures as alarming.

“The 2025 data tells a harrowing story: with over 440,000 children put on treatment, it is the year with the highest admissions for malnutrition we’ve had in Nigeria in recent years,” he said.

He explained that malnutrition has become both a cause and consequence of recurring diseases such as measles, malaria and diphtheria, particularly among children in vulnerable communities with limited access to healthcare.

MSF attributed the worsening situation to conflict and insecurity, displacement, inflation, flooding, drought, rising food prices and cuts in humanitarian funding, which continue to affect families’ access to food and medical services.

The report further showed that MSF treated 341,239 malaria patients, 38,753 children for measles, 6,123 diphtheria cases and 985 meningitis patients during the year.

The organisation noted that outbreaks of cholera, Lassa fever, meningitis, typhoid and other infectious diseases continue to place pressure on health facilities across the country, especially during the rainy season.

MSF also expressed concern over maternal healthcare challenges in Nigeria, noting that the country still records one of the highest maternal and newborn mortality rates globally.

According to the statement, the organisation assisted 33,590 deliveries, conducted 119,469 antenatal consultations and carried out 224 fistula surgeries in 2025.

MSF has operated in Nigeria since 1996, providing medical support during disease outbreaks, malnutrition emergencies, natural disasters and conflict-related crises.

The organisation currently runs projects in several states, including Katsina, Borno, Kano, and Zamfara.