The Federal Government has intensified efforts to combat malaria by expanding its vaccination programme to additional states, even as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warns of a worsening link between the disease and child malnutrition.
The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Muyi Aina, disclosed in Abuja that the malaria vaccine rollout has progressed beyond its initial pilot phase in Bayelsa and Kebbi states to include Bauchi and Ondo states.
The expansion forms part of a broader national strategy to reduce infections and fatalities in Nigeria, which continues to carry the highest global malaria burden. According to the World Health Organisation World Malaria Report 2025, Nigeria accounts for 24.3 per cent of global malaria cases and 30.3 per cent of deaths, representing more than half of the total burden in West Africa.
Despite the scale-up in preventive measures, MSF has raised concerns over the persistent vulnerability of children, particularly those suffering from malnutrition.
Speaking in Katsina during activities marking World Malaria Day 2026, MSF Acting Medical Team Leader, Dr. Alibaba Nuraddeen, said malaria ranked among the top three illnesses treated in the organisation’s Inpatient Therapeutic Feeding Centres (ITFCs) in 2025.
He revealed that approximately 26,000 children were treated in MSF inpatient facilities in Katsina alone, with malaria, acute watery diarrhoea, and sepsis identified as leading causes of morbidity.
Nuraddeen described the relationship between malaria and malnutrition as a “dangerous cycle,” noting that malnutrition weakens the immune system and increases susceptibility to infections, while malaria further exacerbates poor nutrition by reducing appetite and food intake.
He warned that treating malnutrition without routine malaria testing could delay recovery, as undiagnosed infections may persist for weeks or months, potentially worsening a child’s condition.
MSF said it has adopted a protocol of screening all malnourished children for malaria and administering prompt treatment to those who test positive.
Public health experts maintain that Nigeria’s malaria control efforts must integrate vaccination, early diagnosis, effective treatment, and nutritional support, particularly for children who remain the most at risk.
With the vaccination campaign gaining traction and frontline health workers highlighting critical gaps, Nigeria faces a decisive phase in its efforts to curb one of its most lethal and enduring public health challenges.
