The NGO details that a quarter of children under five years of age suffer from malnutrition in two areas of this state
September 16 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The non-governmental organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has warned of a “catastrophic malnutrition crisis” in north-west Nigeria, saying that a quarter of children under five are suffering from malnutrition in two areas of Zamfara state.
According to the NGO and the Nigerian Ministry of Health, an analysis carried out in June on 97,149 children living in 21 localities in Shinkafi and Zurmi revealed that 27 percent of them suffered from acute malnutrition, while 5 percent suffered from severe acute malnutrition. In addition, 22 percent were moderately malnourished.
The figures far exceed the “critical level” threshold set by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the prevalence of malnutrition, which is why MSF has called for an increase in international efforts to address the crisis in the area, which is not included in the United Nations Humanitarian Response Plan for Nigeria.
“The results of the Shinkafi and Zurmi screenings are alarming, revealing a catastrophic malnutrition crisis across north-west Nigeria,” said MSF representative in Nigeria, Abdullahi Mohammad, adding that “the response to this overwhelming disaster is totally inadequate.”
“With malnutrition rates soaring above critical levels and no immediate treatment available for moderate acute malnutrition outside MSF facilities, we are allowing more children to fall into life-threatening conditions,” she said. “It is crucial that we ensure that all children receive the medical care they desperately need.”
MSF has highlighted that it currently manages four inpatient centres and 17 outpatient clinics in Shinkafi, Zurmi, Gummi and Talata Mafara, all in Zamfara, where it has treated more than 7,000 children between January and July, 34 percent more than the same period last year. In the case of Shinkafi and Zurmi, the increase is 50 percent higher than in 2023.
In this regard, he said that his teams are also caring for a large number of children with vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles, with at least 5,700 cases detected in Zamfara so far this year. In addition, diseases such as malaria and acute watery diarrhoea pose a threat to children.
“When I first brought my son to the hospital, I didn’t know if he would survive,” said Hafsat Lawal, a mother whose son is being treated for malnutrition at an MSF centre in Zamfara. “At home, because of the insecurity, we have no food. Food prices have more than doubled. If we had money, we would have bought some cereals, but we can’t.”
The NGO also said that the levels of violence in Zamfara also mean that people are afraid to travel due to the risks involved in reaching health facilities. Health authorities estimate that in 2023 there was only access to 200 of the 700 health centres in the state, which is in addition to the fact that communities in the northwest have long been excluded from the humanitarian response, according to MSF.
He stressed the need for authorities, NGOs and donors to scale up their response in the area, including expanding health facilities to care for malnourished children and providing a “constant and sufficient” supply of essential therapeutic foods to prevent more children from falling victim to this crisis.
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