UNICEF, EU train journalists to tackle malnutrition in Northeast

By Tada Jutha, Maiduguri

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in collaboration with the 27-member European Union (EU), has trained journalists in tackling acute severe malnutrition (SAM) among a million children in the Northeast.

According to the Fund, the malnourished children are from the over a decade-long conflict-affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.

Declaring the training session open on Monday in Damaturu, the UNICEF Nutrition Manager, Joseph Senesie, disclosed, “The EU-funded grant is aimed at fighting the rising cases of malnutrition in the conflict-affected communities of the region.
.
The one-day media dialogue with the training of about three dozen journalists was also to enhance their understanding of how to cover what Senesie described as critical health issues on child malnutrition and other preventable diseases like cholera, polio, malaria and diphtheria.

During a two-hour field trip, the journalists before the training session assessed some of the Outpatient (OTP) health facilities, including the Central Medical Store (CMS) along Gashua Road.

At the Gwange Primary Health Care Center, the health workers demonstrated the use of Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) coloured tapes for screening children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM). While health officials at the Mairi Primary Health Care Center showcased appetite testing protocols, which are used to determine the eligibility for outpatient care.

Speaking on the significance of tackling malnutrition in the state, the Yobe State Nutrition Officer, Hadiza Maina Adamu, disclosed, “We have over 3,400 cartons of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF),” stressing that they are critical food supplements used to treat malnourished children in the state.

UNICEF Nutrition Manage attributed malnutrition to the lean season, starting from May to September 2026, within which malnutrition cases among the children continue to rise.

Senesie also expressed hope that this year’s malnutrition cases in the Northeast would not surpass previous levels, crediting EU support for enabling treatments for over 40,000 children in the previous intervention cycles.

The State’s Nutritional Officer, Hadiza Maina Adamu, who represented the Commissioner of Health and Human Services, said that the state is in an Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Phase 3, indicating that there is a serious level of food insecurity, particularly in the desert-affected communities of Nguru, Bade, Machina, Yusufari, Yunusari and Geidam.

Hadiza further revealed, “The Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) currently stood at 10.8%, according to the 2025 surveillance data,” stating that there is an improvement of 14% from the previous years, though the rate remains critical in the state.

She noted that since 2010, treatment services have expanded significantly to include 306 Outpatient Therapeutic Programme (OTP) sites, stabilisation centres, and 120 Targeted Supplementary Feeding Programme (TSFP) sites.

In a lead paper presented by Dr Babagana Kundi Machina, the Executive Secretary of the Yobe State Primary Health Care Board (YPHCB), emphasised that the EU grant has been instrumental in ensuring an uninterrupted supply of therapeutic food and milk, which facilitated sustained treatment and community-based screening in each of the 17 local government areas.

Lassa Fever Infects Six Health Workers in One Week as Nigeria Records 65 New Cases

By Jamila Muhammad

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported that six healthcare workers contracted Lassa fever within a single week, sparking renewed concern about the risks faced by frontline medical personnel during the ongoing outbreak.

The development was disclosed in the agency’s latest Lassa Fever Situation Report for Epidemiological Week 9, which covered the period between Feb. 23 and March 1.

According to the report, the infections occurred as Nigeria continues to battle the viral haemorrhagic disease across several parts of the country.

The NCDC revealed that a total of 37 health workers have been infected with Lassa fever since the beginning of 2026, highlighting the occupational hazards confronting medical staff responding to the outbreak, which include exposure to infected patients and inadequate protective measures in healthcare settings.

During the week under review, the country recorded 65 confirmed cases of the disease, representing a slight drop compared to the 77 cases documented in the preceding week.

The confirmed infections were reported in several states, including Benue State, Ondo State, Bauchi State, Taraba State, Edo State, Plateau State and Nasarawa State.

Health authorities also recorded 460 suspected cases within the same week. Among the confirmed infections, nine deaths were reported, resulting in a case fatality rate of 13.9 per cent.

The NCDC further stated that since the start of the year, Nigeria has documented 2,446 suspected cases of Lassa fever, out of which 469 were confirmed.

So far, 109 people have died from the disease in 2026, pushing the overall case fatality rate to 23.2 percent. This figure is notably higher than the 18.7 per cent recorded during the same period in 2025.

The report added that at least 18 states and 69 local government areas across the country have reported one or more confirmed cases this year.

Data from the agency indicates that five states account for the majority of infections, with Bauchi State, Ondo State, Taraba State, Benue State, and Edo State responsible for about 86 percent of all confirmed cases recorded so far in 2026.

The NCDC attributed the rising death toll partly to delayed patient presentations at health facilities, limited awareness in some high-risk communities, and poor health-seeking behaviour among affected populations.

To tackle the outbreak, the agency said it has activated a nationwide multi-partner incident management system aimed at strengthening coordination of response activities.

The measures currently underway include intensified surveillance, active case finding, contact tracing, the distribution of personal protective equipment to hospitals, and the deployment of rapid response teams in states with high infection rates.

The Nigerian Center for Disease Control and Prevention has advised health workers across the country to stay alert and strictly observe safety procedures, including infection prevention and control measures, to minimise the risk of contracting the disease while treating patients.

Lassa fever is a viral haemorrhagic disease caused by the Lassa virus. It was first discovered in 1969 in Lassa, Borno State, and has since remained a public health concern in Nigeria and other parts of West Africa.

The infection is commonly spread through contact with the urine or droppings of infected rodents, particularly the multimammate rat known scientifically as Mastomys natalensis. People can also become infected by eating contaminated food or through direct contact with an infected person’s bodily fluids.

According to the World Health Organization, many people infected with the virus may experience mild symptoms or none at all. However, about 20 percent of cases can become severe, with symptoms such as fever, headache, vomiting, and bleeding, as well as complications affecting vital organs.

Medical experts continue to urge early diagnosis, good hygiene practices and strict adherence to infection control measures to limit the spread of the disease and safeguard healthcare workers and the public.