A severe cholera outbreak in Borno State has placed healthcare facilities under immense strain, with more than 35,500 suspected infections and 198 deaths recorded since May. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, reported on Wednesday that the outbreak has spread rapidly since the first suspected cases emerged on 1 May, according to data from the Borno State Ministry of Health.
Overcrowded Settlements and Poor Sanitation Drive Spread
MSF attributed the surge to overcrowded informal settlements, limited access to safe drinking water, poor sanitation, and inadequate waste management. The organization stated that the growing number of infections has overwhelmed healthcare facilities, with health workers struggling to keep pace with patients requiring treatment.
Cholera is an acute bacterial infection transmitted through contaminated food and water. It causes severe watery diarrhea and dehydration and can become life-threatening within hours if treatment is delayed. Given the danger, MSF has expanded its emergency response in collaboration with health authorities and other humanitarian organizations.
MSF Expands Response with Treatment Centers and Vaccination
MSF is supporting two Cholera Treatment Centres, five Cholera Treatment Units, and 17 oral rehydration points across Borno State. As of 12 July, the organization had treated more than 24,000 patients with suspected cholera, with over one in four arriving with severe symptoms.
Bienfait Tombola, MSF project medical coordinator in Maiduguri, said: "We have significantly expanded our response over the past two months. However, the disease is continuing to spread faster than efforts to contain it, mainly because many communities still lack access to clean water, sanitation, and healthcare."
Limited Awareness Hinders Containment
Beyond the strain on health facilities, MSF noted that limited public understanding of how cholera spreads remains a challenge. The organization has intensified community awareness campaigns, trained healthcare workers in cholera management, and supported water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions, including chlorinating water at key collection points.
Health authorities, with support from MSF, conducted an oral cholera vaccination campaign in early July, reaching more than 2.6 million people. Despite these efforts, many communities, particularly those in informal settlements, continue to lack access to safe water, sanitation, and healthcare, allowing transmission to persist.
Outbreak Spreads to Plateau State
MSF also noted that the outbreak has spread beyond Borno to neighboring Plateau State, where the state Ministry of Health reported 102 suspected cholera cases as of 12 July. The organization stressed the need to strengthen access to clean water, sanitation, disease surveillance, and timely treatment, while expanding vaccination campaigns in affected communities to curb transmission and prevent further deaths.
