Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has revealed that at least 652 children have died in Katsina State between January and June 2025 due to severe malnutrition and delayed access to care.
MSF, also known as Doctors Without Borders, further warned of a worsening malnutrition crisis across northern Nigeria.
In a statement released on Friday, MSF said that within the period, its teams treated nearly 70,000 malnourished children in the State alone, 10,000 of whom were hospitalized in critical condition.
“In Katsina, where MSF has operated since 2021, our facilities are overwhelmed. We are seeing more children arrive with severe conditions, including nutritional oedema—the deadliest form of malnutrition,” said Abdulkareem Yakubu, MSF’s field communication officer.
The crisis comes amid a major funding shortfall. Earlier this week, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced it would suspend emergency food and nutrition assistance to 1.3 million people in northeastern Nigeria by the end of July due to a lack of funds.
A food security survey conducted in Kaita LGA of Katsina before the 2025 lean season revealed that over 90 per cent of households had reduced their daily meals, an indicator of deepening hunger.
MSF aid across the region, disease outbreaks worsened by low vaccination rates, poor access to healthcare, and persistent insecurity have further exacerbated the crisis.
Mothers Also Affected
The malnutrition crisis is no longer confined to children. In a July screening across MSF’s five therapeutic feeding centres in Katsina, more than half of 750 mothers of child patients were found to be acutely malnourished. About 13 per cent were suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
“This is a public health emergency. Pregnant and breastfeeding women are increasingly affected, and it’s a worrying sign of how severe the crisis has become,” the statement noted.
In response, MSF has scaled up its interventions, opening a new ambulatory therapeutic feeding centre in Mashi and an inpatient centre in Turai, increasing bed capacity in Katsina to 900 across two hospitals.
“In Mashi, MSF also launched a prevention programme providing nutritional supplements to 66,000 children,” the organization said.
‘The True Scale Exceeds All Predictions’
Ahmed Aldikhari, MSF’s country representative in Nigeria, said the scale of the crisis in 2025 surpasses previous projections.
“The year 2024 marked a turning point in northern Nigeria’s nutrition crisis, with a 25 per cent increase in cases from the previous year. But what we’re seeing now exceeds all predictions,” he said.
Mr Aldikhari blamed drastic international funding cuts, particularly from the United States, United Kingdom, and European Union, for shrinking resources to address growing needs.
“In Katsina, even where food is available, more people simply cannot afford it,” he added.
MSF’s nutrition referent, Emmanuel Berbain, emphasized the urgency of ensuring food access to prevent further deaths.
“This can be done through direct food distribution, nutritional supplements, or cash transfers, where feasible. Expanding the number of health facilities and access to Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food is also critical,” he said.
The organization called for urgent prioritization of malnutrition hotspots and inclusion of older children and adults who are not currently covered by most assistance programmes in emergency response plans.
National Concern
In 2024 alone, MSF treated over 300,000 malnourished children in seven northern states—a 25 per cent increase from 2023. In the first half of 2025, nearly 100,000 children received outpatient treatment in Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, and Zamfara, while 25,000 severely malnourished children were hospitalized.
“The situation demands urgent and collective action,” MSF warned. “Without it, the toll of preventable deaths will continue to rise.”
