By Samuel Luka
As the World Malaria Day (WMD) is marked, the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders (DWB) has identified malnutrition as one of the factors fueling a cycle of severe malaria among children in Katsina and other states of Nigeria.
Dr. Alibaba Nuraddeen, Acting Medical Team Leader for MSF’s Nutritional Project in Katsina, made this known in a press session with journalists to mark this year's World Malaria in Katsina state on Friday.
According to him, the disease is now one of the leading causes of admission at Médecins Sans Frontières treatment centers, pointing out that malaria remains one of the deadliest threats to children and pregnant women, with poor nutrition intensifying its impact.
With this year’s theme as, "Driving to End Malaria: Now We Can, and Now We Must,” Doctor Nuraddeen pointed out that it is no longer a dream but a technical issue that needs action to drive away malaria.
While noting that Africa bears about 95 percent of global malaria cases and deaths, Dr. Nuraddeen said, Nigeria, the continent’s most populous nation, remains among the highest-burden countries.
He said the disease spreads through bites from infected female Anopheles mosquitoes, with symptoms including fever, headache, body pains, vomiting and diarrhea.
Nuraddeen explained that Children under five, pregnant women and travelers from non-endemic areas face the greatest risk of severe illness due to low immunity.
“Pregnancy is a form of physiological immunosuppression. Children have low immunity. That’s why malaria is more deadly in them than in adults,” he said.
Nuraddeen said, at MSF’s Inpatient Therapeutic Center in Katsina, malaria is the third most common condition treated in malnourished children, after acute watery diarrhea and sepsis, stating that the center managed nearly 26,000 children last year.
“Malnutrition suppresses immunity, which predisposes children to infections like malaria,” Dr. Nuraddeen said.
“But it goes both ways. A well-nourished child with malaria may lose appetite, vomit, and have diarrhea. If poorly treated for weeks, that child will end up malnourished.” He explained.
"Severe cases are referred for stabilization, while many outpatient cases are treated with oral medication", Dr. Nuraddeen added.
He stressed that malaria is preventable and curable, yet still kills a lot of children, saying prevention measures include clearing stagnant water and bushes to reduce mosquito breeding, using insecticide-treated nets, wearing long sleeves, indoor spraying, and screening windows.
The Doctor said seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention is being deployed for at-risk children, with drugs given monthly for three to five rounds during peak transmission.
"MSF tracks positivity rates to time campaigns. Off-peak, we may see 3 or 4 positives out of 10 patients. When it rises to 5 or 6, we know cases are increasing and we act,” he said.
A malaria vaccine validated in the last two years is now in pilot use under routine immunization in Bayelsa and Kebbi states. Early data shows the burden is declining compared to previous years, likely due to vaccines combined with annual SMC campaigns, Dr. Nuraddeen said.
He said MSF runs nutrition programs in seven northern states: Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, Kano, Bauchi and Borno. The group recorded a “significant decrease” in malaria cases across its projects between 2024 and 2025.
Access remains a challenge. “We do routine chemoprophylaxis, but reaching villages is difficult,” Dr. Nuraddeen said. “We review each year’s exercise and build on it the next year.”
World Malaria Day is observed annually on April 25 to highlight global efforts to control and eliminate the disease.
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