Afghanistan’s health crisis: Pneumonia cases rise in infants

• Thousands of Afghan children are being treated in hospitals for pneumonia.
• Aid organizations have issued warnings that the crisis is likely to worsen.
• More than 180 international organizations had to halt operations in Afghanistan.

According to Reuters, which cited physicians and relief workers, families in Afghanistan are finding it harder to afford proper heating as a result of which cases of pneumonia in children have been on the rise.

According to hospital data cited by Reuters, more than 6,700 youngsters were hospitalised for pneumonia, coughs, asthma, and other respiratory disorders in November as opposed to roughly 3,700 in the same month a year prior.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported that, even before the winter months, pneumonia admissions among children under five in Afghanistan had increased by 50% in 2022 compared to the previous year.

According to the research, thousands of kids in Afghanistan are being treated in hospitals for pneumonia and other respiratory conditions brought on by the cold and starvation. Aid organizations have issued warnings that the crisis is likely to worsen as a result of the restriction on female employees in NGOS. More than 180 international organizations had to halt operations in the nation during the key winter months as a result of the Taliban’s embargo.

According to the organizations, they are unable to function without female employees who are helpful in interacting with women and children. Over 50% of Afghans depended on humanitarian aid even before the Taliban took over in 2021 after the US troop pullout. Foreign governments’ significant budget cuts, Western sanctions, and the freezing of central bank assets have all hurt the nation.

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