Pneumonia, Acute Respiratory Sickness, measles, acute watery diarrhea and different preventable illnesses affecting kids as acute malnutrition places hundreds of thousands in danger
KABUL, 22 December 2021 – Kids throughout Afghanistan are more and more susceptible to illness and sickness because of the lethal mixture of rising malnutrition, an unprecedented meals disaster, drought, disruptions to very important well being and vitamin centres, lack of entry to and poor high quality of water and sanitation companies, and crippling winter climate.
Because the humanitarian scenario continues to deteriorate in Afghanistan, outbreaks of life-threatening illnesses are placing kids’s lives in danger. Greater than 66,000 circumstances of measles have up to now been reported in kids up to now in 2021. There have additionally been outbreaks of acute watery diarrhoea, malaria and dengue fever. 4 circumstances of wild poliovirus kind 1 (WPV-1) have been confirmed this 12 months.
Extreme winter climate circumstances, with temperatures already effectively under freezing in lots of areas, improve the danger of pneumonia and Acute Respiratory Sickness (ARI) as households battle to warmth their houses and maintain their kids heat. Kids residing in excessive altitude areas are particularly susceptible and require pressing life-saving help together with winter clothes, blankets and gas for heating. Some 25-30 per cent of deaths in kids under the age of 5 are as a result of respiratory tract infections, with 90 per cent of those deaths as a result of pneumonia.
“We’re approaching a essential juncture for Afghanistan’s kids, as winter brings with it a large number of threats to their well being,” stated Abdul Kadir Musse, UNICEF Afghanistan Consultant a.i. “There is no such thing as a time to lose. With out pressing, concerted motion – together with guaranteeing now we have the sources to deploy extra money transfers and winter provides – most of the nation’s kids won’t stay to see spring.”
Earlier this month, UNICEF launched its largest-ever single-country appeal to answer the wants of over 24 million folks in Afghanistan, half of whom are kids. UNICEF’s attraction for US$2 billion goals to assist avert the collapse of well being, vitamin, WASH, schooling and different very important social companies for kids and households.
Final month, UNICEF offered greater than 10,000 front-line well being staff in over 1,000 well being services with salaries for November and supported over 1,000 well being services with medical provides and winter heating supplies. UNICEF additionally offered essential main well being care companies, together with immunization, by means of well being services and cell well being and vitamin groups. UNICEF vaccinated practically 105,000 kids aged between 6 months and 5 years outdated towards measles. A nationwide polio marketing campaign reached 8.5 million kids, together with over 2 million kids residing in beforehand inaccessible areas. In the identical month, UNICEF was capable of deal with greater than 37,000 kids affected by Extreme Acute Malnutrition; offered over 22,000 folks with entry to protected water, together with by means of water trucking; and distributed money to the provinces with the very best poverty price and most extreme winter circumstances, together with winter garments.
UNICEF estimates that 1 in 2 kids underneath 5 can be acutely malnourished in 2022 because of the meals disaster and poor entry to water, sanitation and hygiene companies.
Guided by humanitarian ideas, UNICEF will prioritize life-saving interventions to deal with kids and supply different very important companies. UNICEF’s response will assist guarantee continuity of important companies by stopping the collapse of programs which can be essential for kids, whereas additionally safeguarding hard-won beneficial properties, together with defending the rights of girls and women. UNICEF counts on the help of the worldwide group by facilitating exemptions to sanctions to make sure the well timed provision of products and companies to the kids of Afghanistan.
Media contacts
Salam Al-Janabi
UNICEF Afghanistan
Tel: +93 79 998 7111
E-mail: sabdulmunem@unicef.org
Joe English
Communications Specialist
UNICEF New York
Tel: +1 917 893 0692
E-mail: jenglish@unicef.org
