UNICEF: Nearly 1 Million Afghan Children at Risk of Death From Malnutrition

DID Press: United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned that nearly 1 million children in Afghanistan are suffering from severe, life-threatening acute malnutrition and could die without urgent treatment.

UNICEF said a total of 3.7 million children across Afghanistan are affected by wasting and acute malnutrition. Tajudeen Oyewale, UNICEF’s representative in Afghanistan, said around 1 million children suffering from severe acute malnutrition are at risk of death if they do not receive immediate treatment.

According to Oyewale, nearly 40 percent of children hospitalized with severe malnutrition and medical complications are infants under six months old, while children under the age of two account for more than 80 percent of severe acute malnutrition cases.

UNICEF also said more than 500,000 children have been hospitalized since the beginning of this year due to moderate and severe malnutrition. More than 8,000 cases were recorded in July alone, nearly one-third higher than the roughly 6,000 cases reported in July last year.

Oyewale described Afghanistan’s child nutrition situation as “deteriorating”, warning that hospitals in some southern parts of the country are facing severe overcrowding, with three to four severely malnourished children competing for every available bed.