Rare quintuple birth in Jawzjan; four infants healthy, one dies before birth

A mother from Fayzabad district in Jawzjan province gave birth to quintuplets on Sunday at a private hospital in Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province. Out of the five newborns, four are reported to be in good health, while one infant was tragically lost before delivery.

The father, Saleh Mohammad, said his wife had been under medical care in Mazar-e-Sharif for the past week. He described her condition as stable and satisfactory. Grateful for the support she has received, he appealed for government assistance in the days ahead to help care for the newborns.

This extraordinary birth has drawn widespread attention, not only in Jawzjan but across northern Afghanistan, highlighting both the fragility and miracle of multiple births in the region.

Previous rare multiple-births in northern Afghanistan

This is not the first time such exceptional multiple births have made headlines in the area. A woman in Jawzjan province gave birth to six babies — four girls and two boys — at a private hospital in October last year.

Sadly, all six newborns died within hours due to premature birth and complications.

In August 2015, a 35-year-old woman named Rezagul delivered five baby boys in Samangan province. Though they were underweight, doctors reported that both mother and infants were stable following the birth.

These past events underscore how rare and risky such pregnancies remain in Afghanistan, particularly given the limited healthcare infrastructure and high maternal and infant mortality rates in some regions.