By Joke Kujenya
SUDDENLY, CARE becomes urgent in Gummi as the rainy season drives a surge of complicated malaria cases, filling the wards of the Doctors Without Borders or Médecins Sans Frontières (DWB/MSF) supported hospital in northwestern Nigeria.
JKNewsMedia.com gathered that inside the facility, mothers sit beside metal beds, watching children battle fevers, convulsions and exhaustion while rain falls steadily outside.
Usually, the rainy season brings relief from the heat, but it also fuels a rise in malaria cases that places families and health workers under intense pressure.
One of the doctors, Balarabe Tirmizi, an MSF physician in Gummi, said: “During the rainy season, we experience the highest influx of malaria cases in our project.
“The numbers have increased year after year. Many children arrive very late and very sick, but when they reach us in time, malaria is treatable. Early diagnosis and immediate care make the difference between life and death,” Balarabe stressed.
In Gummi, Malaria remains endemic and consistently one of the leading causes of illness.
Doctors said the disease occurs throughout the year but peaks during the rainy season between June and October.
They also noted that stagnant water from rainfall, farming activities and water stored around homes creates breeding conditions for mosquitoes and added that children under five and pregnant women are the most affected.
Also, during these months, the malaria wards fill rapidly as children with severe malaria are admitted.
Poverty and limited access to health services mean many families first turn to herbal or traditional remedies, hoping symptoms will ease. When medical care is delayed, children often arrive critically ill, Tirmizi said.
Rafaatu Abubakar brought her son Misbahu to the hospital after malaria led to severe anaemia. “They admitted us and gave him blood,” she says.
“They also gave us food and took care of everything we needed. If we had stayed at home longer, I do not know what would have happened.”
Another mother, Ummul Khairi, arrived with two children after weeks of worry.
Her daughter Maryam was suffering from malaria and severe malnutrition.
She said: “We came here to seek care, and we are happy for the care we received.”
“The doctors worked hard for my children. There was food, water and no discrimination.”
After nearly three weeks, the family returned home. “My children are getting better and I will return home with courage and happiness,” Khairi says.
MSF health workers say malaria often intersects with other illnesses as some of the children admitted for malnutrition are also infected with malaria, complicating recovery and increasing pressure on staff during peak months.
To meet rising needs, they noted that malaria response in Gummi is being expanded.
In the rainy season, patient numbers regularly exceed available space, prompting the team to increase capacity, MSF said.
They also disclosed that a once small malaria ward has grown with additional beds, improved triage and strengthened laboratory services.
Now, three outpatient departments dedicated to malaria testing and treatment have opened to reduce congestion and speed up care.
MSF teams said they work alongside local health staff to ensure patients receive timely treatment and dignity in care.
Also, trust between the community and the hospital remains central, encouraging families to seek help earlier.
MSF personnel also counsel that prevention efforts continue alongside treatment.
They advised that measures such as sleeping under mosquito nets, clearing stagnant water and joining seasonal malaria chemoprevention campaigns reduce risk, while stressing that early testing at nearby facilities helps stop mild illness from becoming severe.
Meanwhile, JKNewsMedia.com reports that the World Health Organisation (WHO) enlightens that malaria continues to place a heavy burden on families and health services in Gummi.
The organ also says that changing rainfall patterns and longer transmission seasons mean the challenge is growing.
Also, MSF teams reiterate that access to free, essential care remains vital in a place where malaria is a daily threat and timely treatment can save lives.
