MSF Warns of Alarming Rise in Severe Child Malnutrition in Southern Afghanistan

DID Press: The international medical humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières has warned of a sharp increase in acute malnutrition among children in southern Afghanistan, citing declining international aid, recurring droughts, and worsening food insecurity as key drivers of the crisis.

According to MSF, the number of children with severe acute malnutrition admitted to treatment centers in Helmand Province and Kandahar Province rose by more than 30% between January and April 2026 compared with the same period over the past three years. The majority of cases involve infants under one year of age.

Anna Lillia Banda said children are arriving at treatment centers in critical condition with preventable complications, warning that both food insecurity and early detection systems have significantly deteriorated.

MSF attributed part of the crisis to a substantial reduction in international assistance since early 2025, including the suspension of some bilateral US aid programs, which led to the closure or suspension of hundreds of health and nutrition facilities across Afghanistan.

The organization reported that more than 1,500 severely malnourished children were admitted to the Boost Provincial Hospital nutrition center in Helmand during the first four months of 2026—more than double the figure recorded in the same period in 2022. In Kandahar, over 570 children were hospitalized, with hundreds more referred to other medical facilities.

MSF stressed that malnutrition is not only a medical emergency but also a broader social crisis, noting that mothers suffering from food shortages are often unable to adequately feed their infants.

The organization has called on the international community to urgently increase funding for nutrition programs to prevent further deterioration of the humanitarian situation and rising child mortality in Afghanistan.