Health
875,000 children in Afghanistan at risk of severe wasting: UNICEF
As many as 875,000 children in Afghanistan are at risk of severe wasting, the United Nations agency for children said on Tuesday.
Sam Mort, chief of communication of UNICEF in Afghanistan, said on Twitter that the organization needs urgent support to prevent and treat malnourished boys and girls.
This comes after Save the Children said last month that child malnutrition cases has risen nearly 50 percent in Afghanistan as hunger hits recorded levels.
The rate of admissions in Kabul’s main children’s hospital, Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital, has also increased.
“The hospital will use everything at its disposal to treat the children. Admissions at the hospital have increased due to lack of health facilities in provinces,” said Mohammad Haseeb Rahimzai, head of Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital.
In May, Save the Children reported that about 9.6 million children in Afghanistan have been unable to secure food on a daily basis due to the deepening economic crisis in the country, the impact of the Ukraine war, and continuing drought.
Health
Ebad addresses gathering of health sector supporting organizations in Doha
The Minister of Public Health of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Qalandar Ebad on Thursday attended a meeting of health sector-supporting organizations in Doha, Qatar and spoke about the need to focus on certain areas of healthcare in the country.
In his speech, Ebad spoke of work needed to reform the health system, joint supervision, self-sufficiency of the health sector, standardization of health services at village and district level and provision of all-round health services.
He asked international colleagues in the field of health to work more on reducing administrative costs and delivering aid in a proper and correct manner.
Ebad said that if excessive administrative expenses are prevented, it will have a positive effect on the expenses in the field of health services.
He also emphasized that the release of the country’s frozen assets would be beneficial for the health sector especially for mothers and children.
It is a big and positive step for the independence of Afghanistan’s health system, development and standardization of health services, which should be taken by the international community, he said.
Health
Polio vaccination campaign underway in Afghanistan
The Ministry of Public Health, in cooperation with international institutions, on Monday launched the second sub-national polio vaccination campaign for 2024.
The campaign runs in different parts of the country from 26 to 29 February 2024, and aims to reach 7.6 million children below the age of five.
“We are committed to eradicating polio in Afghanistan with the cooperation of our partners. We are working day and night and continue supplementary polio vaccination campaigns and health care services in order to reach the goal of completely eradicating polio throughout the country,” Acting Public Health Minister Qalandar Ebad said.
“The support of all Afghans, especially elders and religious scholars, is important in polio eradication activities. It is necessary for them to participate in the fight against polio and keep their children healthy,” he added.
Polio is a viral disease that cannot be cured and can only be prevented and eradicated by vaccination.
Health
Over 286,000 afflicted with respiratory diseases since winter across Afghanistan: WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that since the beginning of 2024, more than 286,000 individuals have been afflicted with respiratory diseases across Afghanistan, among whom 668 have lost their lives.
On Saturday, the organization reported hundreds of deaths and infections due to respiratory illnesses across the country, coinciding with the onset of winter.
According to WHO, the increase in the number of individuals afflicted with respiratory diseases is due to cold weather conditions, affecting mostly children.
Based on the organization’s report, over 63 percent of the patients are children under five years old, with nearly 50 percent of them being women.
Earlier, WHO emphasized in a report that the average recorded statistics of respiratory illnesses in the country have increased compared to the same period in the years 2020 to 2022.
With the arrival of the cold season and increased air pollution, concerns regarding the spread of respiratory illnesses in the country have intensified.
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