A rapid surge in suspected cholera cases has placed healthcare facilities in Borno State under severe pressure, with the state recording more than 35,500 suspected cases and 198 deaths as of July 12, 2026.
The outbreak, which began with the reporting of the first suspected cases on May 1, has continued to spread amid overcrowded informal settlements, limited access to safe drinking water, poor sanitation and inadequate waste management.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said the scale of the outbreak had stretched healthcare services, with health workers struggling to keep pace with the rising number of patients requiring treatment.
Among those affected is 13-year-old Muhammad Usman, who was transported by ambulance to an MSF-supported Cholera Treatment Centre (CTC) in Maiduguri after developing vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach pain.
His mother, Hadiza Ali, said his condition later deteriorated, prompting the family to suspect cholera.
“He started vomiting, had diarrhoea and complained of stomach pain. Later, he lost consciousness. We realised it could be cholera,” she said.
According to MSF, it had treated more than 24,000 patients with suspected cholera across Borno as of July 12, with more than one in four patients presenting with severe symptoms.
The organisation currently supports two Cholera Treatment Centres, five Cholera Treatment Units and 17 oral rehydration points across the state to provide treatment for patients with severe symptoms and bring care closer to affected communities.
“We have significantly expanded our response over the past two months, but the transmission is still spreading faster than efforts to contain it, mainly due to a lack of access to clean water, sanitation and healthcare,” said Bienfait Tombola, MSF Project Medical Coordinator in Maiduguri.
Cholera is an acute bacterial infection of the intestine that spreads through contaminated food and water. It causes severe watery diarrhoea and dehydration and can become fatal within hours without prompt treatment.
MSF said limited public understanding of how cholera spreads was also contributing to the continued transmission of the disease.
Kyari Ali, 65, who sought treatment at the CTC after developing sudden diarrhoea and severe weakness, said several members of his family and community had also been affected.
“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, I don’t know how cholera spreads,” he said.
In response, MSF has intensified community awareness campaigns while supporting infection prevention and control measures, healthcare worker training and improvements in water and sanitation.
The organisation is also supporting the chlorination of water at key collection points to reduce the risk of transmission.
In early July, health authorities, with support from MSF, conducted an oral cholera vaccination campaign that reached more than 2.6 million people.
However, MSF said the outbreak remained difficult to contain, particularly in informal settlements where many residents still lack reliable access to clean water, adequate sanitation and healthcare.
The outbreak has also spread beyond Borno to neighbouring Plateau State, where the Ministry of Health had reported 102 suspected cholera cases as of July 12.
MSF called for urgent expansion of vaccination campaigns across affected areas, alongside stronger surveillance, improved access to safe water and sanitation, public health education and timely treatment to slow transmission and prevent further loss of life.
