Dire Malnutrition Crisis in Katsina: 652 Child Deaths Reported by MSF Amid Funding Cuts and Insecurity
Katsina State in Northern Nigeria is grappling with an escalating malnutrition crisis, as Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reports a tragic surge in child deaths. The humanitarian organization attributes this alarming increase primarily to severe cuts in international funding and persistent insecurity in the region.
Scale of the Crisis:
Devastating Death Toll: MSF has confirmed that at least 652 children died from malnutrition in their facilities in Katsina State during the first six months of 2025. This grim statistic underscores the severity of the ongoing crisis.
Surge in Cases and Hospitalizations: By the end of June 2025, nearly 70,000 children had received medical care for malnutrition from MSF teams in Katsina. Alarmingly, almost 10,000 of these children required hospitalization due to the critical nature of their conditions.
Increased Severity: A worrying trend observed is the significant increase in the severity of malnutrition. The number of children in Katsina suffering from nutritional oedema, the most severe and life-threatening form of malnutrition, has risen by approximately 208 percent in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. This indicates that children are presenting at health facilities with far more advanced and dangerous stages of malnutrition.
Adults Also Affected: The crisis extends beyond children. In July 2025, MSF conducted a screening of 750 mothers of patients in their Katsina malnutrition centers and found that more than half of these adult caregivers were acutely malnourished, with 13 percent suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
Attributed Causes:
Drastic Funding Cuts by International Donors: MSF explicitly links the surge in cases and deaths to massive cuts in international funding. They specifically cite "massive budget cuts, particularly from the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union," which are directly and severely impacting the ability to treat malnourished children. This has led to critical consequences, such as the World Food Programme (WFP) announcing the suspension of food and nutrition aid for 1.3 million people in Nigeria's conflict-hit northeast by the end of July due to "critical funding shortfalls."
Persistent Insecurity in Northern Nigeria: Ongoing violence and insecurity, predominantly from banditry, in Northern Nigeria, including Katsina, are major aggravating factors.
Disrupted Food Production: Insecurity forces people to abandon their farms, leading to significantly reduced food production and availability.
Restricted Access to Aid: It severely restricts access to healthcare services and humanitarian aid for affected populations.
Displacement: Displacement due to conflict further disrupts livelihoods and access to essential food supplies.
Other Contributing Factors: Beyond funding cuts and insecurity, MSF and other humanitarian organizations highlight a complex interplay of factors:
Soaring Food Prices and Inflation: The rising cost of living makes food increasingly unaffordable for vulnerable households. A food security survey in Kaita LGA (Katsina State) conducted before the 2025 lean season revealed that over 90% of households had already reduced their daily meals.
Chronic Food Insecurity: This stems from persistent poverty, market disruptions, and climate-induced crop failures, leading to limited access to sufficient and nutritious food.
Inadequate Healthcare Infrastructure: The poor availability and accessibility of basic health services, coupled with low vaccine coverage, make children more susceptible to common diseases that worsen malnutrition.
Disease Outbreaks: Malnutrition severely weakens the immune system, leaving children highly vulnerable to prevalent diseases like acute watery diarrhea, cholera, and measles, especially during the rainy season.
Socioeconomic Vulnerabilities: Underlying poverty, limited education, and certain traditional practices regarding food preparation and consumption further exacerbate the crisis.
MSF's Response and Call for Action:
MSF has consistently raised alarms about the escalating malnutrition crisis in northern Nigeria since 2022, noting that the current scale of the crisis "exceeds all predictions."
They are urgently calling for the mobilization of resources to prevent further deaths and to expand the capacity to provide care and treatment for malnourished children. This includes increasing the number of beds in health facilities and ensuring adequate funding and access to Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF).
The Nigerian government has reportedly budgeted ₦200 billion (approximately $130 million) this year to help cushion the shortfall from the withdrawal of international funding to the health sector, particularly from the US. This initiative may help to mitigate some of the immediate impacts.
The situation in Katsina State is a stark reminder of the devastating human cost when humanitarian efforts in conflict-affected regions are underfunded, a crisis compounded by broader socioeconomic and environmental challenges.
I'm Aisha shehu
Talksocialtalka News
