In 2023, MSF teams treated a total of 9,618 patients with measles in both of its healthcare facilities - Gwange Paediatric Hospital and Nilefa Kiji nutrition hospital – and in MSF-supported primary healthcare (PHC) centres in Maiduguri. “We did not expect such a large influx of patients, particularly at the end of the year” explains Abdulwahab Mohamed, MSF medical coordinator, referring to the 3,965 patients treated from October to December, which represent almost three times more than for the same period in 2022.
Dr. Jombo Tochukwu-Okoli, MSF Medical Activity Manager at Gwange Paediatric Hospital, attributes this alarming rise in the number of cases to an inability of public health actors “to achieve the 95% vaccination rate, required to suppress measles”. “This is notably due to the difficulties for the health workers in accessing rural communities surrounding Maiduguri”, Dr. Tochukwu-Okoli continues, as the insecurity has made vaccination campaigns a difficult endeavour.