Over 11,000 pregnant women in quake-hit areas need urgent aid: UNFPA

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) says more than 11,000 pregnant women in the earthquake-affected areas are in urgent need of assistance.

In a published report, the organization estimates that 199,760 women are of reproductive age.

According to the report, 11,670 of them are currently pregnant, and providing immediate assistance to them is a critical issue.

While two weeks have passed since the deadly and devastating earthquake in Kunar, the Norwegian Refugee Council has stated that all earthquake-affected communities are in need of urgent aid.

In a report, UNFPA added that communities living in the valleys have lost nearly all of their possessions as a result of the recent earthquake, including homes, livestock, and vital water systems.

Following the disaster, many have been forced to take refuge in temporary camps, where between 50 to 100 women and children are living in each tent, without access to proper health facilities.

Meanwhile, several international organizations have emphasized that their priority is to protect the health and safety of women and girls and to provide urgent reproductive care for mothers.