Healthcare facilities across Borno State are struggling to cope with a rapid surge in suspected cholera cases, with more than 35,500 infections and 198 deaths recorded since the outbreak began in May, according to the Borno State Ministry of Health.
The outbreak, which was first reported on May 1, 2026, has spread rapidly across the state, driven by overcrowded informal settlements, poor sanitation, inadequate waste management, and limited access to safe drinking water.
Among those affected is 13-year-old Muhammad Usman, who was rushed by ambulance to a Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)-supported Cholera Treatment Centre (CTC) in Maiduguri after developing severe symptoms.
His mother, Hadiza Ali, said her son began vomiting, suffered severe diarrhoea and stomach pain before losing consciousness. “We realised it could be cholera,” she said.
This was contained in a statement signed by Abdulkareem Yakubu, Field Communication Officer (Press), Médecins Sans Frontières | Doctors Without Borders (MSF), a copy of which was made available to newsmen.
MSF said it has significantly expanded its emergency response in collaboration with the Borno State Ministry of Health and other humanitarian organisations.
The organisation now supports two Cholera Treatment Centres, five Cholera Treatment Units, and 17 Oral Rehydration Points across the state to provide treatment closer to affected communities.
According to MSF, more than 24,000 patients with suspected cholera had received treatment through its facilities as of July 12, with over one-quarter presenting severe symptoms requiring intensive medical care.
MSF Project Medical Coordinator in Maiduguri, Bienfait Tombola, said despite the scale-up of interventions, the disease continues to spread faster than response efforts.
“We have significantly expanded our response over the past two months, but 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.
Health experts explained that cholera is an acute bacterial infection transmitted through contaminated food and water. The disease causes severe watery diarrhoea and dehydration and can become fatal within hours if left untreated.
MSF noted that while many residents are aware of the outbreak, public understanding of how the disease spreads remains limited.
A 65-year-old patient, Kyari Ali, who is receiving treatment at a cholera centre, 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, and I don’t know how cholera spreads,” he said.
To improve public awareness, MSF has intensified community sensitisation campaigns, trained healthcare workers, strengthened infection prevention measures, and supported water chlorination at key collection points.
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The organisation also backed an oral cholera vaccination campaign conducted by health authorities in early July, which reached more than 2.6 million people across Borno State.
Despite these interventions, MSF warned that many communities, particularly those in informal settlements, continue to lack access to clean water, sanitation and healthcare services, allowing transmission to persist.
The outbreak has also spread beyond Borno into neighbouring Plateau State, where health authorities had reported 102 suspected cholera cases as of July 12.
MSF called for urgent expansion of access to safe water, sanitation, disease surveillance, timely treatment and vaccination campaigns to slow transmission and prevent further loss of life.
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