The United Nations and UNICEF have issued a stark warning that nearly one million Afghan children suffer from severe, life-threatening malnutrition and risk dying without immediate medical care.
Kabul 24: According to UNICEF, approximately 3.7 million children across Afghanistan are currently experiencing acute malnutrition and “severe wasting.” Tajudeen Oyewale, UNICEF’s Representative in Afghanistan, expressed deep concern, stating that about one million of these children suffer from the most dangerous form of acute hunger.
He warned that without swift, immediate treatment, a fatal humanitarian disaster will unfold.
Field reports indicate that the hunger crisis is deteriorating rapidly nationwide. Since the start of the year, over 500,000 children have required hospital care due to moderate and severe malnutrition.
UNICEF’s statistical analysis highlights even more devastating aspects of this crisis:
Infants at Risk: Nearly 40% of children hospitalized with severe malnutrition and related complications are infants under six months old.
Toddlers Vulnerable: Children under two years of age account for more than 80% of all severe malnutrition cases.
Primary Cause of Mortality: Malnutrition remains the leading driver behind rising under-five mortality rates across the country.
This escalating crisis has pushed Afghanistan’s healthcare system to its limits, overwhelming hospitals nationwide. Severe malnutrition admissions jumped from roughly 6,000 in July of last year to over 8,000 this July a one-third increase.
In several southern regions, acute bed shortages have forced hospitals to place three to four severely malnourished children in a single bed.
