Every year from July to October, the combination of hunger gap and rainy season triggers a spike in the number of children suffering from acute malnutrition and malaria in southern Niger. Since the large-scale food crisis of 2005, the prevention and treatment of child malnutrition has greatly advanced in Niger but hundreds of thousands of children continue to be affected by this chronic emergency. This year, several factors could lead to an exceptionally severe seasonal peak amid dwindling donor funding dedicated to nutritional and paediatric programs in the area. The catastrophic access to healthcare for malnourished children living in neighbouring Nigeria states also pushes many Nigerian families to cross the border and turn to the Niger’s health system for life-saving care.

In June, ahead of the peak season (July- October), the number of severely malnourished children treated since the beginning of 2021 by the Nigerien MoH and MSF teams in Maradi region was already well above last year figures (+34% in health centres, +46% in hospital). This worrying trend was confirmed in July, and Madarounfa ITFC capacities that are increased during the peak to 260 beds are already overwhelmed with 300 children admitted.

While we continue to expand our response in Maradi region (supporting new ITFCs and peadiatric wards and more ATFCs in Guidam Roumjdi, Aguié and Madarounfa districts) and start a project in Katsina state in Nigeria, we want to keep highglighting the particularly severe situation this year to help mobilise other stakeholders.

SUBTITLES :

The seasonal malnutrition “peak” takes alarming proportions this year in the Maradi region of Niger.
MSF is working in partnership with the Ministry of Health to face this crisis.



Hassan Issa, MSF emergency coordinator

“By mid-July we had already admitted over 10,000 children to programmes in the outpatient and inpatient intensive nutritional rehabilitation centres. Normally we’d expect to have an average of 17,000 for the whole year. The peak that lasts from June to around October is when 80% of patients are admitted. So, with these numbers (…) we think we’re going to be well above this year’s predictions.
“It’s already the middle of the malnutrition peak and, given the torrential rain that has hit Maradi in the past few days, the malaria peak will be on us soon. Right now around 60% of rapid malaria tests are positive.”



Lawré Garba grandmother of Balkissa Saadou

“I brought my granddaughter Balkissa because she was sick. When we arrived, she kept losing consciousness. She was severely malnourished. They sent us immediately to Madarounfa hospital where we spent 18 days. They took charge of everything and, thank God, my granddaughter’s recovered her health.”



Nigerian families are turning to Niger’s health system because they have no access to free, effective medical and nutritional care close to their homes.
Hassan Issa, MSF emergency coordinator
“Given the problems of insecurity in northern Nigeria and the entire border with Niger, last year there were people who left their villages, who could not sow and who could not harvest.”



Firdaoussi Abdoulaye, mother of 5 children, one is Souleymane Abdoulaye

“My child’s been ill for a while. I spent three weeks in Nigeria doing everything I could to make him better, but nothing worked! He was losing more and more weight.
“In Nigeria everything has to be paid for. I’ve been to health centres, but none of them were as good as here. Today’s our last appointment.”

Hassan Issa, MSF emergency coordinator

“In the health centres MSF assists we’re treating children from all over, from Niger, and Nigeria too, particularly in Madarounfa district. In the health centres on the border with Nigeria, almost 70% of admissions are kids from Nigeria.”


Dr Massalabi Hamani Bachirou, MSF’s head of medical activities at Madarounfa hospital

“At the moment, we have 303 hospitalized patients but the hospital’s bed capacity for the peak was initially 260, but already we have 303 children who’re hospitalised. We’re going to have to review our projections and increase capacity to at least 350 beds. And even with that many, we’re concerned it won’t be enough for all the patients we’re admitting.”



As an emergency measure, for the next few months MSF will be stepping up its assistance with paediatric and nutrition treatment in Niger’s Maradi region.
New activities are being launched on the other side of the border in Katsina State in Nigeria.