Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) An International body of medical professionals, inpatient facilities in northern Nigeria have recorded an extraordinary increase in admissions of severely malnourished children with life-threatening complications, with twice as many admissions than last year in some locations.
This horrifying influx of malnourished patients is occurring before the usual peak season for malnutrition in July and August
MSF expressed concern over the increasing numbers of children affected by Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) in the Northeastern part of Nigeria and other regions where they are working.
A press release signed and issued by Abdulkareem Haruna, MSF’s spokesperson in the North East Region of Nigeria, said that the alarming trend of SAM among children is a cause for concern and therefore calls for urgent need for humanitarian assistance to be scaled up, with a view to mitigating the child killer affliction.
Medicine Sans Frontier, also known as Doctors without borders said that, as an organization, they are committed to providing medical care to those in need, but that they cannot do it alone.
Dr. Saleh Muhammad Auwal examining a child at the ITFC in Sokoto Specialist Hospital where MSF is supporting the 40-bed capacity wards where children with severe acute malnutrition are being treated.
MSF therefore urged other organizations and authorities at all levels to come together and address this crisis.
MSF also called on the media to support the humanitarian organisation in disseminating the critical information that would raise awareness about the disturbing trend on SAM among children and also mobilize the necessary resources to provide relief to affected population.
Rimawaglobalnews reports that the North East Region of Nigeria has the highest burden of Malnutrition among children in Nigeria and in many cases degenerating into severe acute malnutrition.
Other World bodies like WHO, UNICEF, USAID etc have also expressed similar concerns and calls for concerted efforts from both States and non State Actors to mitigate Malnutrition in the region
