Nearly 200 dead as cholera outbreak overwhelms healthcare in Nigeria

Healthcare facilities in Nigeria’s Borno State are facing mounting pressure as a cholera outbreak continues to spread, with more than 35,500 suspected infections and 198 deaths reported since May.

In a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES on July 22, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, cited figures from the Borno State Ministry of Health showing that the outbreak has escalated rapidly since the first suspected cases were identified on May 1.

According to the organisation, the surge has been fuelled by overcrowded informal settlements, limited access to safe drinking water, poor sanitation and inadequate waste disposal.

MSF said the sharp rise in cases has placed healthcare facilities under severe strain, leaving medical staff struggling to manage the growing number of patients requiring urgent treatment.

Cholera is a highly contagious bacterial disease spread through contaminated food and water. It causes severe diarrhoea and dehydration and can become fatal within hours if left untreated.

In response, MSF said it has expanded its emergency operations in coordination with health authorities and humanitarian partners by supporting two Cholera Treatment Centres, five Cholera Treatment Units and 17 oral rehydration points across Borno State.

The organisation stated that it had treated more than 24,000 suspected cholera patients as of July 12, noting that over a quarter of them arrived in critical condition.

MSF also highlighted low public awareness about cholera transmission as a major obstacle to controlling the outbreak.

To address the crisis, the organisation said it has intensified community education campaigns, trained healthcare workers in cholera case management, and strengthened water, sanitation and hygiene measures, including chlorinating water at major collection sites.

It added that health authorities, with MSF’s support, carried out an oral cholera vaccination campaign in early July that reached more than 2.6 million people.

Despite these efforts, MSF warned that many communities, particularly those living in informal settlements, still lack access to safe water, sanitation and healthcare services, allowing the disease to continue spreading.

The organisation also said the outbreak has extended beyond Borno into neighbouring Plateau State, where the state Ministry of Health had recorded 102 suspected cholera cases as of July 12.

By Jeyhun Aghazada