WHO says Afghanistan facing severe Measles outbreak, over 100 deaths reported this year

On Saturday, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that thousands of children have been infected with the measles outbreak in Afghanistan. WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris stated that nearly 100 children with the disease have died in the war-torn country this year, as reported by the Khaama Press news agency. She stated that the outbreak is particularly a matter of concern because the country is witnessing rising food shortages and malnutrition. Harris further emphasised the urgent need to ramp up disease surveillance and testing in the country in an attempt to bring the situation under control.

Earlier, the UN health agency had reported that three million Afghan children were malnourished, with more than one million in critical condition and likely to die, reported the news agency. It is significant to mention here that the World Health Organization had aimed to eradicate measles by 2020, but so far only the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Portugal, Slovakia and Slovenia have achieved this goal. According to a top UNICEF official, about one million children in Afghanistan will suffer from acute malnutrition in 2021 and may die if quick action is not taken. Following his visit to the war-torn country last month, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Omar Abdi informed about the situation and called for immediate assistance to the children living in the war-torn country. 

UNICEF stresses upon the importance of vaccinating children

Abdi met with dozens of children suffering from severe malnutrition in Indira Gandhi Children's hospital in Kabul, according to the UNICEF press release. He was accompanied by UNICEF Regional Director George Laryea-Adjei and UNICEF Afghanistan Representative Herve Ludovic de Lys during his visit to the hospital in Afghanistan's capital. During his discussion with the Taliban administration, Abdi emphasised the importance of providing basic healthcare, immunisation, nutrition, water, and sanitation to children. He had also advocated for the resumption of COVID, polio, and measles vaccinations in the country and stressed the importance of vaccinating children and communities against vaccine-preventable diseases.

Meanwhile, last month, a United Nations agency official confirmed that thousands of people received humanitarian aid in Afghanistan from October 11 to 17. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), in Afghanistan, at least 2,625 internally displaced individuals who had recently returned to their communities got household supplies, reported news agency Xinhua. The United Nations humanitarian agencies and their partners also appealed to countries to keep their promises to the war-torn country as they scrambled to scale up delivery of vital aid ahead of the upcoming winter season. 

Image: AP