A total of 17,223 children were admitted for malnutrition in the first quarter of 2024 in Bauchi state.
Medicins Sana Frontiers (MSF) revealed this in Bauchi State on Friday, adding that the state with much of Northern Nigeria, is facing a malnutrition crisis.
MSF revealed also that there was a significant rise in malnutrition cases in Nigeria, reporting a 40 per cent average increase in admission, compared to the same period last year
The acting head of the mission, Dr. Thierry Boyom, revealed that the MSF is launching an integrated community care management plus (ICCM) in Ganjuwa Local Government Area to train identified personnel to diagnose and treat malnutrition at an early stage.
The Project Coordinator for Bauchi, Rabi Adamou, expressed concern over the drastic rise in admissions, lamenting that the the strain on resources as the peak malnutrition season approaches.
She said in Bauchi, 5,787 children were admitted to the ITFC and 17,223 children to three local Ambulatory Therapeutic Feeding Centers (ATFCs), which support malnourished children before they need inpatient care.
According to her, MSF has scaled up its response in the area by increasing bed capacity at the Inpatient Therapeutic Feeding Center (ITFC) in Ganjuwa Local Government Area of the state.
She said between January and June 2024, the number of admissions increased by 127 per cent for the ITFC and 123 per cent for the ATFCs compared to the same period in 2023.
“We are only just entering the peak season for malnutrition, and our facilities are over capacity and having to expand.”
“We are very concerned by the catastrophic increase in malnutrition admissions we have seen in Bauchi in the first half of 2024. Although there may be many factors compounding this increase, the numbers we are seeing are incredibly high” She stated
