Borno Cholera Outbreak: Over 24,000 Treated as Cases Surge, Health Facilities Overwhelmed

No fewer than 24,000 people have been treated for suspected cholera in Borno State as the outbreak continues to spread rapidly across the state, overwhelming healthcare facilities and stretching medical workers to their limits.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, disclosed this in its latest situation report, warning that the outbreak is advancing faster than current response efforts due to inadequate access to clean water, sanitation and healthcare services.

The organisation said thousands of people have been affected since the first suspected cholera cases were reported on May 1, 2026, with overcrowded informal settlements, unsafe drinking water, poor sanitation and inadequate waste management identified as major drivers of the outbreak.

According to the Borno State Ministry of Health, more than 35,500 suspected cholera cases and 198 deaths had been recorded across the state as of July 12.

Among the victims is 13-year-old Muhammad Usman, who was rushed by ambulance to an MSF-supported Cholera Treatment Centre (CTC) in Maiduguri after developing severe symptoms.

His mother, Hadiza Ali, said the teenager began vomiting, suffered severe diarrhoea and stomach pains before losing consciousness, prompting fears that he had contracted cholera.

MSF said it has significantly scaled up its emergency response in collaboration with state health authorities and humanitarian partners. The organisation currently supports two Cholera Treatment Centres, five Cholera Treatment Units and 17 oral rehydration points across Borno State to provide lifesaving treatment for patients.

The humanitarian agency revealed that more than one in every four patients treated since the outbreak began presented with severe symptoms requiring urgent medical intervention.

MSF Project Medical Coordinator in Maiduguri, Bienfait Tombola, said despite the expansion of treatment facilities over the past two months, transmission continues to outpace containment efforts.

He attributed the continued spread of the disease largely to poor access to clean water, sanitation facilities and healthcare services.

The outbreak has also exposed gaps in public awareness, with many residents unfamiliar with how cholera spreads.

Sixty-five-year-old Kyari Ali, who is receiving treatment at a cholera centre, said several members of his family and community had also contracted the disease but admitted he did not know how the infection was transmitted.

To address the knowledge gap, MSF said it has intensified community sensitisation campaigns, strengthened infection prevention measures, trained healthcare workers and supported water chlorination at key collection points.

In addition, health authorities, with support from MSF, carried out an oral cholera vaccination campaign in early July that reached more than 2.6 million people.

Despite these interventions, MSF warned that vulnerable communities, particularly those living in informal settlements, remain without adequate access to clean water, sanitation and healthcare, allowing the outbreak to persist.

The disease has also spread beyond Borno State into neighbouring Plateau State, where the Ministry of Health had recorded 102 suspected cholera cases as of July 12.

MSF stressed that expanding access to clean water, sanitation, disease surveillance, timely treatment and wider vaccination coverage remains critical to slowing transmission and preventing further loss of lives.