MSF: Catastrophic Malnutrition Crisis in Northwest Nigeria Must be Recognized
Editor
3 November 2022 15:40 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Abuja - Teams of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), or Doctors Without Borders, stated that they have witnessed extraordinarily high numbers of children with malnutrition in their programs located in five states across northwest Nigeria since the beginning of 2022. They believe multiple factors have led to a sharp increase in malnutrition in the region over the last year.
The MSF teams collaborated with the Nigerian health authorities since January, treating close to 100,000 children suffering from acute malnutrition in 34 outpatient facilities and admitted about 17,000 children requiring hospital care in 10 inpatient centres in Kano, Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto and Kebbi states.
In Zamfara state, one of the areas most affected by ongoing violence and banditry, MSF stated that they recorded a 64 percent increase in the numbers of severely malnourished children treated in the outpatient nutritional departments, from January to August 2022 when compared to January to August 2021.
The MSF’s nutritional surveys have also underlined the severity of the crisis, including in areas that are less affected by violence and insecurity. In Mashi local government area, in Katsina state, the MSF said that they found a 27,4% rate of global acute malnutrition and a 7,1% rate of severe acute malnutrition in June, even though the community has been relatively spared from violence and forced displacement. According to them, these rates indicate a critical emergency.
The MSF explained that the UN’s current humanitarian response plan for Nigeria focuses on the critical situation in the country’s northeast region, excluding the northwest. Unlike the MSF, which is not funded by the humanitarian response plan, many organisations are currently unable to respond to the acute needs in the northwest because they rely on it for funding.
“We understand the United Nations, donors and other stakeholders are increasingly aware of the extent of the crisis in the northwest, but there is a need to go beyond discussions,” said Froukje Pelsma, the MSF head of mission in Nigeria. “It’s essential that the northwest is included in the next Nigeria humanitarian response plan for 2023, because this plays a key role in mobilising the resources to save lives.”
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