Nigeria, Nov. 14 -- Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has warned that shortages of a lifesaving medicine are forcing medical teams to ration treatment for diphtheria patients in northern Nigeria, where more than 28,000 confirmed infections and 1,100 deaths have been reported this year.

The warning comes as figures attributed to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) show that the outbreak continues to spread, particularly among children who are unvaccinated or have not received all their recommended vaccine doses.

In a statement issued on Friday, MSF said supplies of diphtheria antitoxin (DAT), which neutralises the toxin responsible for potentially fatal complications, were dangerously low.

The organisation called o...