Health
MSF raises concern over increase in measles cases in three provinces
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Afghanistan has expressed concern about the rising incidence of measles in the country, saying that the provinces of Herat, Kunduz and Helmand are the most affected.
MSF said Wednesday that in the past week alone, 90 children with measles had been admitted to a special ward in Herat province.
Last week, the agency announced the opening of a special ward for measles patients at the provincial hospital, saying that it has now increased the ward to 60 beds.
Médecins Sans Frontières said in just a few days, all the beds in this ward were full of measles patients and now there is no room for other sick children.
According to MSF, Helmand and Kunduz provinces have had the highest number of measles cases in the past week.
This comes after the World Health Organization (WHO) on Sunday warned that measles is on the rise among children in Afghanistan and that so far this year, at least 43,000 children have contracted the disease.
Of this, 214 children have died in the past three months from measles, WHO reported.
According to WHO, five percent of these deaths are children under the age of five, which is higher than last year.
While the Ministry of Health has not confirmed these numbers, officials have confirmed an outbreak of the disease and reported cases in Kunduz, Kabul and Helmand provinces.
Health
Balkh health officials report sharp increase in number of cancer patients
Balkh Public Health Department officials say there has been a significant increase in the number of patients with cancer in the province.
“In 1401, about 2,613 OPD (out patient department) cases were registered with us. In 1402, these figures were 4,912 cases,” said Ehsanullah Kaliwal, the head of the oncology department at Balkh Regional Hospital.
Some doctors say genetic factors, environmental pollution, arbitrary use of medicines, and excessive consumption of meat were reasons for the sharp increase.
One doctor said cancer was also hereditry.
However, a large percentage of cancer patients in Balkh have stomach cancer. Many of them have appealed for the government to improve treatment facilities.
According to health officials, in the first month of this solar year (April), 423 cancer patients visited this hospital for treatment.
Health
Majority of Afghans with mental disorders are women: officials
Based on last year’s data, 52 percent of people with mental disorders in Afghanistan are women, the Ministry of Public Health said.
However, after the Islamic Emirate took over the country and with the improvement of nationwide security and the provision of better health services, mental disorders have decreased, the ministry said.
“Overall, the mental security of men and women in Afghanistan is not ensured and their mental security is disturbed. According to the figures shared with us, in 2023, 52 percent of the visitors for mental disorders were women,” said Sharaft Zaman Amarkhil, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Public Health.
“Generally speaking, we can say that compared to the past, the instances of mental illnesses have decreased,” he added.
People suffering mental disorders mostly refuse to share their problem, willingly or unwillingly.
“There are many problems at home; We are poor. I finished school, but didn’t find any job,” Ansar, a mentally ill person, said.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), half of Afghanistan’s population suffers from mental distress.
Factors such as unemployment, poverty, domestic violence, ban on girls’ and women’s education and work, and drugs are said to be key contributors to mental distress.
Health
Over 1 million women in Afghanistan malnourished last year: WFP
A total of 1.2 million women in Afghanistan were malnourished last year, the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) said on Thursday.
Mona Shaikh, head of nutrition at WFP Afghanistan, said that the number of malnourished women is expected to increase this year.
On malnourished children, she said that their number will reach 3 million this year, but WFP will be able to assist only 1.6 million of them.
WFP warned that after foreign assistance cuts last year, it saw a rise in children’s admissions to malnutrition clinics in Afghanistan.
More than 23 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan this year, according to the United Nations. Over half of them are children.
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