Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has raised concerns over the worsening cholera outbreak in Borno State, warning that healthcare facilities are being overwhelmed as the disease continues to spread faster than containment efforts.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the international humanitarian organisation said the outbreak, which began with the first suspected cases on May 1, 2026, has placed immense pressure on hospitals and treatment centres as medical workers struggle to manage the growing influx of patients suffering from severe dehydration and other life-threatening complications.
According to the Borno State Ministry of Health, more than 35,500 suspected cholera cases and 198 deaths had been recorded across the state as of July 12, underscoring the scale of the public health emergency.
Among the victims is 13-year-old Muhammad Usman, who was rushed by ambulance to an MSF-supported Cholera Treatment Centre (CTC) in Maiduguri after collapsing from severe symptoms.
“He started vomiting, had diarrhoea and complained of stomach pain. Later, he lost consciousness. We realised it could be cholera,” his mother, Hadiza Ali, recounted.
Cholera, a highly infectious bacterial disease transmitted through contaminated food and water, causes acute watery diarrhoea and rapid dehydration. Without prompt treatment, it can prove fatal within hours.
MSF attributed the rapid spread of the disease to overcrowded informal settlements, inadequate access to safe drinking water, poor sanitation facilities and ineffective waste management systems.
To reinforce the government-led response, the organisation said it has significantly scaled up operations across the state, providing support to two Cholera Treatment Centres, five Cholera Treatment Units and 17 Oral Rehydration Points to improve access to emergency care in affected communities.
The humanitarian agency disclosed that it has treated more than 24,000 suspected cholera patients since the outbreak began, with more than one-quarter arriving in critical condition.
MSF Project Medical Coordinator in Maiduguri, Bienfait Tombola, warned that despite the expanded response, the outbreak continues to outpace intervention efforts. “We have significantly expanded our response over the past two months, but the transmission is still spreading faster than efforts to contain it, mainly due to a lack of access to clean water, sanitation and healthcare,” Tombola said.
Beyond the medical emergency, MSF highlighted widespread public ignorance about cholera transmission and prevention as another major challenge.
A 65-year-old patient receiving treatment at the Maiduguri Cholera Treatment Centre, Kyari Ali, said several members of his family and community had also contracted the disease.
“Many people in my family and community have suspected cholera. I even have relatives who are also here in the treatment centre. I don’t know how I got the disease, I don’t know how cholera spreads,” he said.
To curb the outbreak, MSF and health authorities have intensified public awareness campaigns, trained healthcare workers, strengthened infection prevention measures and expanded water chlorination programmes at major water collection points.
The organisation also supported a mass oral cholera vaccination campaign conducted in early July, which reached more than 2.6 million people in affected communities.
Despite these interventions, health experts warned that sustainable control of the outbreak will depend on long-term investments in safe water supply, sanitation infrastructure, disease surveillance and improved access to quality healthcare.
The outbreak has also spread beyond Borno, with neighbouring Plateau State reporting 102 suspected cholera cases as of July 12, raising concerns about wider regional transmission.
MSF stressed that expanding vaccination coverage, improving water and sanitation services, and strengthening emergency health systems remain essential to slowing the outbreak and preventing further loss of life.
