Rainy Season Deepens Disease, Hunger Crisis In Zamfara – MSF

The rainy season in Zamfara State has triggered a sharp rise in disease outbreaks and worsening hunger, deepening an already dire humanitarian situation for thousands of residents affected by years of insecurity and displacement.

Between May and September, communities across the state face an annual surge in malaria, cholera, typhoid fever and other waterborne illnesses. Health workers say the situation has become increasingly alarming, especially in areas where access to clean water is limited.

Nursing activity manager at the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) hospital in Zamfara, Sani Adamu, said “The rainy season affects the way we see patients. It increases the risks and transmission of many diseases, like malaria, cholera and other acute watery diarrheal diseases.”

MSF said it has treated 136,778 malaria patients and 13,877 cholera cases in Zamfara in 2025. Flooding often contaminates water sources, creating the perfect conditions for outbreaks and exposing children, pregnant women and other vulnerable groups to life-threatening illnesses.

The rainy season also overlaps with the annual lean period, when food stocks run out and households face months of scarcity. Malnutrition rises sharply during this time. MSF reported treating 60,566 malnourished children in Zamfara in 2025.

“All groups are affected. But children under 15 and pregnant women are most vulnerable, ” Adamu said.

According to MSF, reaching healthcare remains a major challenge for many families, due to insecurity, bad roads, and long distances. Saratu, a mother displaced multiple times by violence, said she had to raise ₦10,000 to take her sick daughter from Tudubali to Shinkafi for treatment, the organisation explained.

MSF, which runs or supports four facilities in northern Nigeria, said most of the illnesses and deaths recorded during the rainy season are preventable.

The organisation is, therefore, calling for improved sanitation, access to safe water, strengthened vaccination campaigns, and better-equipped health facilities to help reduce the yearly toll.