1 million Afghan children at risk of dying amid acute malnutrition, says WHO
- ‘The world must not and cannot afford to turn its back on Afghanistan’
- As temperatures fall, some people chop down trees for hospitals’ fuel
Aid agencies have warned of famine as a drought coincides with a failing economy following the withdrawal of Western financial support in the aftermath of a Taliban takeover in August. The health sector has been hit especially hard, with many health care workers fleeing due to unpaid salaries.
“It’s an uphill battle as starvation grips the country,” Margaret Harris told Geneva-based journalists by telephone from the capital Kabul. “The world must not and cannot afford to turn its back on Afghanistan.”
Nighttime temperatures are falling below zero degrees Celsius and colder temperatures are expected to make the old and the young more susceptible to other diseases, she said, adding that in some places, people are chopping down trees to provide fuel for hospitals amid widespread shortages.
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Afghan hospital struggles to handle overflowing patients with dwindling supplies