Health
Pneumonia runs rampant through Afghanistan
In the last 45 days, more than four hundred people have died of pneumonia across the country, officials said adding that most of them were children.
The Ministry of Public Health says that during this period, nearly 190,000 people contracted pneumonia across the country.
According to health officials, the highest number of cases were in Kabul, Nangarhar and Balkh provinces.
According to the ministry:
• In 2020, more than 900,000 people were infected and 1,700 people died
• In 2021 more than 944,000 people were infected and 1,900 died
• In 2022, more than 188,000 people have so far been infected while 436 people have died
The highest number of infections recorded this year so far have been in Balkh with 23,075 cases, then Kabul with 20,990 and Nangarhar with 14,560.
Nangarhar recorded the most deaths from pneumonia with 88 cases, Balkh with 75 cases and Kabul with 45.
Extreme cold, a lack of fuel to heat homes, limited access to health care and hospitals is behind the rising case load officials said.
A large percentage of fatalities however have been children.
“In the last two months, many patients have been referred to the hospital and hospitalized here; we try to treat them right until the end,” said Haseb Ahmadzai Wardak, head of Indira Gandhi Children Hospital in Kabul.
Historically, one-fifth of all children under the age of five who have died succumbed to pneumonia.
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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