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MSF warns of sharp rise in severe child malnutrition in Southern Afghanistan
The organization noted that more than 1,500 severely malnourished children were admitted to its feeding center at Boost Provincial Hospital in Helmand,
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has warned of a sharp increase in severe acute malnutrition among children in southern Afghanistan, saying growing numbers of critically ill patients are arriving too late to receive timely treatment.
According to MSF, admissions to its inpatient therapeutic feeding centers in Helmand and Kandahar between January and April 2026 were more than 30 percent higher than the average recorded during the same period over the previous three years. Most of the affected children were under the age of one.
MSF said the worsening crisis has been driven by a combination of severe funding cuts to humanitarian programs, prolonged drought, food insecurity, and disruptions to medical and food supplies. The organization warned that the closure or suspension of hundreds of health facilities has weakened early detection and treatment services for malnutrition.
“Children are reaching us far too late, often in critical condition with preventable medical complications,” said Ana Lilia Banda, MSF’s medical coordinator in southern Afghanistan. She stressed that restoring outpatient and inpatient nutrition services is essential to prevent avoidable child deaths.
The organization noted that more than 1,500 severely malnourished children were admitted to its feeding center at Boost Provincial Hospital in Helmand during the first four months of 2026—more than double the number recorded during the same period in 2022. In Kandahar, more than 570 children received inpatient treatment, while over 300 patients had to be referred to other health facilities because of limited capacity.
MSF also highlighted the growing impact of maternal malnutrition, saying many mothers lack adequate food, making it difficult to properly breastfeed and care for their infants.
The organization has called on international donors, Afghan health authorities, and humanitarian organizations to urgently restore funding for nutrition programs, ensure an uninterrupted supply of therapeutic food and essential medicines, and expand lifesaving services to prevent the crisis from worsening.