Many are dying from malnutrition We have recently returned from a visit to Nigeria’s Borno State. Amid the hunger and displacement, we saw that something else was terribly wrong. In the three places that we visited, there were hardly any children under 5 years of age. Almost none. They were missing...
The health situation in Borno State in northeast Nigeria is critical. At least 500,000 people who are either displaced or cut off in enclaves outside state capital Maiduguri are in urgent need of food, medical care, drinking water and shelter. “Aid agencies must deploy a massive relief operation to...
Critical humanitarian needs for displaced in Bama, Borno State, Nigeria A catastrophic humanitarian emergency is currently unfolding in a camp for internally displaced people in Borno State, Nigeria, said Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Wednesday. For several hours on June 21...
The MSF boats Dignity I and Bourbon Argos together with the MY Phoenix, operated jointly with MOAS, yesterday rescued 1,658 people in MSF’s biggest day of operations on the Mediterranean Sea since operations began on 2 May. In six separate rescue operations, the three search and rescue vessels...
In the wake of a major attack carried out by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram on the town of Baga, in northern Nigeria, a team from Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is assisting survivors who have fled to the city of Maiduguri. A large number of people are believed to have been killed in the...
MSF releases Zamfara Lead Poisoning progress report Six months on from an International Lead Poisoning Conference, Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) warns that time is running out to solve the Zamfara crisis in Nigeria. In a progress report, MSF has been treating lead poisoned children since the start...
Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) is encouraged by the engagement of the Emir of Gusau on the critical lead poisoning situation in Zamfara, but notes with concern the confusion caused by a potential ban on gold ore processing. MSF unequivocally believes that a ban on artisanal mining would have...
An international conference to find solutions to the Zamfara lead poisoning crisis* in Nigeria, of which Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), was the lead organiser concluded on 10th May. The conference delegates endorsed a clear action plan calling for Nigerian government commitment to resolve the...
Among the US government diplomatic cables recently published by the Wikileaks website were details of a meeting between an official from the pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, and US Embassy officials in Nigeria in April 2009. At the time of the meeting, Pfizer was in the midst of a legal battle with...
Earlier this year, cases of lead poisoning in children and adults were confirmed in 5 villages in Zamfara state, northwestern Nigeria. Since early June, Médecins Sans Frontières, in collaboration with Ministry of Health has been providing emergency treatment for children under 5 years of age and...
