An international conference on the Zamfara lead poisoning crisis, of which Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) was the lead organiser, concluded on Thursday. The conference delegates endorsed a clear action plan calling for Nigerian government commitment to resolve the crisis.

© Sandra Smiley/MSF

MSF’s health centres and hospitals have observed a marked increase in the number of patients with malaria, including severe malaria. In six provinces, the number of people treated for malaria in MSF projects has risen by 250 per cent since 2009. The rise has been particularly sharp in recent months. An alarmingly high number of patients with severe malaria require hospitalisation and urgent blood transfusions.