Northern states record 185,502 rise in child malnutrition cases

In 2025, at least 185,502 additional children across seven northern Nigerian states were treated for acute malnutrition compared to the previous two years, according to data obtained by Sunday PUNCH from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The affected states are Zamfara, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Bauchi, Borno, and Sokoto. The organization attributes the escalating nutrition crisis to conflict, displacement, shrinking humanitarian funding, and the broader economic crisis since the US discontinued support for global health initiatives under President Donald Trump's administration.

MSF reported treating 425,634 children for acute malnutrition in 2025, a 41.8% increase from 2024, when they treated just over 300,165 children. In 2024, the number of children treated for malnutrition was around 240,132, a 25% increase from 2023. The surge is attributed to worsening insecurity, displacement, heightened food insecurity, disease outbreaks, and reduced humanitarian funding.

MSF operates 12 Inpatient Therapeutic Feeding Centres and more than 30 Ambulatory Therapeutic Feeding Centres across the seven northern states, admitting over 169,000 severely malnourished children in the first half of 2025 alone. The organization emphasizes the psychological burden malnutrition places on children and caregivers, with caregivers accompanying children during hospital admissions for extended periods.

MSF integrates mental health and psychosocial support into malnutrition programs, providing caregivers with psychological first aid, individual counseling, and group sessions to share experiences and learn coping strategies. The organization sees faster weight gain, shorter lengths of stay in inpatient feeding centers, and improved caregiver well-being when mental health activities are integrated into malnutrition treatment.