Borno Cholera Death Toll Rises To 74 – MSF

The international medical humanitarian organisation, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), has raised concerns over the rapidly escalating cholera outbreak in Borno State.

It warned that the growing number of cases is overwhelming the state’s health system and stretching response capacity.

MSF, which disclosed this yeserday, said over 7,800 suspected cholera cases had been recorded across Borno since the outbreak began in early May, placing serious pressure on health facilities and healthcare workers.

According to data from the Borno State Ministry of Health, 7,850 suspected cholera cases and 74 deaths had been reported across 14 local government areas and 50 wards as of June 7.

The organisation said the outbreak has continued to intensify, with increasing numbers of patients arriving daily at treatment centres with severe watery diarrhoea and dehydration.

In response to the surge, MSF and the Borno State Ministry of Health established a Cholera Treatment Centre (CTC) in the Ngarannam area of Maiduguri on May 7.

The facility’s capacity, MSF said, has since been expanded from 121 to 271 beds to accommodate the growing influx of patients.

The organism said it also opened a 20-bed Cholera Treatment Unit (CTU) in the Dalaram area of the state capital.

MSF revealed that it had treated 7,439 patients at the two facilities as of June 7, representing an average of 230 admissions daily.

On June 5 alone, more than 500 patients suffering from acute watery diarrhoea were admitted, the highest number recorded in a single day since the response began.

MSF Project Medical Coordinator for the emergency response in Maiduguri, Bienfait Tombola, said the increasing caseload underscores the urgent need to strengthen both treatment and prevention measures.

“Every day, we see more people arriving with severe watery diarrhoea and dehydration, many of whom have travelled long distances to reach care,” Tombola said.

He acknowledged that collaboration between the Ministry of Health, MSF and other partners had enabled a rapid scale-up of the response but stressed that the continued rise in infections indicates that more action is needed to curb transmission.

However, the organisation warned that the scale and speed of the outbreak continue to outstrip available resources.

MSF noted that cholera and other waterborne diseases thrive in environments where access to clean water, sanitation facilities and healthcare services remains limited, particularly in informal settlements.

Tombola called for intensified preventive efforts, including the planned cholera vaccination campaign by the state government.

“While treatment is essential to save lives, a cholera vaccination is foreseen to be conducted by the Ministry of Health, and this would help cut the chains of transmission,” he said.