For several weeks, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) mounted a large-scale emergency response to a meningitis outbreak in northwest Nigeria, providing life-saving treatment to thousands and supporting a mass vaccination campaign that helped curb the spread of the disease.
The outbreak began in early February 2025, when hospitals across Kebbi and Sokoto states began receiving an influx of patients with alarming neurological symptoms — convulsions, loss of consciousness, and severe neck stiffness among them.
“I woke up one morning with neck pain, stiffness in one leg, and back pain,” said Aisha Faruq, 26, while recovering at the MSF-supported General Hospital in Gwandu, Kebbi State. “I vaguely remember going to school. That’s where I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was here.”
As local health facilities struggled to manage the sudden rise in cases, MSF deployed emergency medical teams and supplies to the hardest-hit areas. Health educators also worked within communities to raise awareness and direct affected individuals to MSF-supported hospitals.
“Initially, many people thought they had malaria, as symptoms like fever and headache were common,” explained David Musa, an MSF community health educator in Gwandu. “But the presence of symptoms like neck stiffness and signs of brain inflammation in infants quickly pointed to meningitis.”
Laboratory testing soon confirmed bacterial meningitis as the cause of the outbreak, which affected large parts of Kebbi and neighbouring Sokoto State — both located within Africa’s “meningitis belt,” a region stretching from Senegal to Ethiopia that experiences recurrent outbreaks of the disease.
Meningitis, particularly the bacterial strain common in Nigeria, is considered a global health threat and is often fatal without urgent treatment. According to The Lancet, more than 2 million cases occur worldwide each year, with over 200,000 deaths reported.
Recognizing the urgency of the situation, MSF quickly mobilized in collaboration with state health authorities. In Kebbi, where the majority of cases were recorded, MSF provided surge support to three local government areas — Gwandu, Jega, and Aliero — expanding bed capacity and providing hands-on training to local health workers.
“In the first 12 days of our response, we admitted over 500 patients,” said Dr. Sham’un Abubakar, MSF’s Emergency Coordinator in Kebbi. “Despite adding more beds, we still had to lay mattresses on the floor to accommodate the overflow.”
Over a nine-week period, MSF-supported facilities in Kebbi admitted 2,095 patients with meningitis.
In Sokoto State, MSF extended support to five primary healthcare centres and two general hospitals in Tambuwal Local Government Area. By early May, MSF teams had treated 880 patients in the region.
Meningitis affects people of all ages, but children between the ages of 1 and 15 remain the most vulnerable. Infants and toddlers are at particularly high risk of death or long-term complications.
“Survivors are at risk of lasting neurological effects — hearing loss, vision problems, seizures, and even stroke,” said Dr. Abubakar.
Ten-month-old Sha’ayau, admitted to Jega General Hospital with brain swelling, was one of the many infants treated by MSF. Though discharged, he was referred for specialist follow-up care. His older brother, also treated for meningitis weeks earlier, lost his hearing.
While urgent medical treatment is essential, vaccination remains the most effective tool for controlling meningitis outbreaks. In partnership with the Kebbi State Ministry of Health, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization (WHO), MSF supported a rapid immunization campaign that reached nearly half a million people in just one week — two-thirds of whom were children under 15.
“Mass vaccination creates herd immunity and significantly reduces the likelihood of future outbreaks,” said Dr. Abubakar. “It provides protection for up to eight years.”
From February to early May, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) recorded over 4,000 suspected meningitis cases across the country, with approximately 70 percent of cases managed in MSF-supported facilities in Kebbi and Sokoto states.
Thanks to MSF’s swift intervention, the outbreak has since declined. Emergency operations have been gradually scaled down, with MSF transitioning back to routine medical support while continuing to assist local health authorities in strengthening long-term response capacity.
