Nigeria: 350,000 children vaccinated against crippling diphtheria epidemic

The humanitarian medical organisation Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and the Borno State Ministry of Health have successfully completed a vaccination campaign against diphtheria targeting children until 14 years old in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC) Local Government Area (LGA) in Nigeria’s Borno state.

The campaign began with a first round from 9 to 15 February 2026, which reached 490,000 children, far exceeding the initial target of 387,000. A second round was conducted from 9 to 15 April 2026, targeting 360,000 children reached during the first round to strengthen immunity. Despite the high number of children reached, limited vaccine availability constrained the scale of response.

Nigeria is grappling with one of its most severe diphtheria epidemics in history, with the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reporting 65,759 suspected cases and 2,229 deaths as of 22 March 2026 since May 2022 and officially declaring an outbreak in 2023. In Borno state, one of the most affected areas, MSF has treated more than 7,400 suspected cases since 2023, with 4,200 treated in the past year alone. Furthermore, MSF is treating thousands of people suspected or confirmed to have diphtheria across the country, in close collaboration with state Ministries of Health, and currently supports activities in Bauchi, Borno, Kano and Sokoto states.

Diphtheria is an acute infectious disease that spreads primarily through respiratory droplets or contact with infected wounds. Symptoms include a sore throat, fever, swollen lymph nodes and a thick grey membrane in the throat that can obstruct breathing. In severe cases, the bacterial toxin can damage the heart, nerves and kidneys, potentially leading to complications such as paralysis. For unvaccinated persons without proper treatment, diphtheria can be fatal in around 30% of cases, with young children at higher risk of dying.

MSF supported the Borno State Ministry of Health to run the vaccination campaign, providing comprehensive logistical support including vaccine storage, transportation and remuneration for vaccination teams, health promotion and awareness activities, and program supervision. The Ministry of Health provided the vaccines used in the campaign. This collaborative effort ensured high coverage, with communities responding enthusiastically to outreach efforts across both rounds.

"This vaccination will help to significantly boost immunity levels of children below 14 years old in Maiduguri, the area responsible for most of the diphtheria cases we saw in our treatment centre. This proactive step is essential to controlling and preventing the disease." said MSF emergency coordinator for the project, Nao Muramoto.

In addition, MSF supported the diphtheria treatment unit (DTU) at Maiduguri Teaching and Training Hospital in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. The DTU saw a surge in suspected cases during the campaign, reflecting heightened awareness and improved referrals by community health workers during the vaccination efforts.

“Sustained routine immunisation against diphtheria, improved access in volatile areas and tackling vaccine hesitancy remain essential to prevent future surges of vaccine-preventable diseases like diphtheria. Access to more vaccines is needed, as efforts to reach the children of Borno State should remain a priority to avoid further contaminations, to cut the transmissions and save lives“ concludes Nao Muramoto.

Beyond its support to the diphtheria treatment and vaccination, MSF also supports the Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) in Maiduguri, a 60-bed referral maternity and obstetric emergencies hospital with an intensive care unit (ICU) and neo-natal ICU, and the Shuwari Primary Healthcare Centre and the Nilefa Kiji nutrition hospital, where our teams treat children under five suffering from severe and moderate acute malnutrition with medical complications.

A child displays her vaccination card after receiving a diphtheria containing vaccine in Gamboru, Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria. Photographer: Paul Odongo | Date: 11/02/2026 | Location: NigeriaA Ministry of Health paediatrician attends to six-year-old Mohamed Usman Mohamed inside the MSF-supported Diphtheria Treatment Unit (DTU) at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital in Maiduguri, Borno State, as her 25-year-old mother Aisha Isa watches. Photographer: Paul Odongo | Date: 17/02/2026 | Location: Nigeria

Fatima Hassan, a community health worker, speaks through a megaphone to raise awareness about diphtheria and mobilise families to vaccinate their children during a vaccination campaign in Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria. Photographer: Paul Odongo | Date: 12/02/2026 | Location: Nigeria

About Doctors Without Borders (MSF)

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is a global network of principled medical and other professionals who specialise in medical humanitarian work, driven by our common humanity and guided by medical ethics. We strive to bring emergency medical care to people caught in conflicts, crises, and disasters in more than 70 countries worldwide.

In South Africa, we currently run a non-communicable diseases (NCDs) project in Butterworth, Eastern Cape province, where we support the Department of Health (DoH) in improving care for patients with diabetes and hypertension. The project focuses on improving screening, diagnosis, management, and prevention of NCDs through advocacy, research, health promotion, training, and mentorship of Community Healthcare Workers.

MSF is also recognised as one of the pioneers in providing antiretroviral treatment (ART) in the public sector. It started the first HIV programme in South Africa in 1999. The organisation's earlier interventions in the country have primarily been on developing new testing and treatment strategies for HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis (TB) in Eshowe (Kwa-Zulu Natal) and Khayelitsha (Western Cape). The Eshowe project was handed over to DoH in 2023 after 12 years of operations. The Khayelitsha project was closed in 2020 after 22 years of activities and campaigning for improved HIV and TB treatment.

Other projects we have been involved in include our Migrant Project in the country's capital, Tshwane, which was handed over to authorities and a local Community-Based Organisation after building the capacity to work with undocumented populations. We also previously offered free, high-quality, and confidential medical care to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in Rustenburg, North West province.

To learn more about our work in South Africa, please visit this page on our website (www.msf.org.za). To support MSF’s work: