Afghanistan: Severe malnutrition cases rise by one-third
News Desk
New York: A widening funding gap for humanitarian nutrition programmes is leaving Afghanistan’s most vulnerable children at greater risk as hospitals struggle to cope with a sharp rise in severe malnutrition cases, UNICEF has warned.
The UN children’s agency said about 3.7 million Afghan children are suffering from wasting, including nearly one million experiencing the most severe and potentially life-threatening form of malnutrition.
Children below the age of two are bearing much of the burden, accounting for 83 per cent of severe acute malnutrition cases, UNICEF said.
The growing caseload is putting intense pressure on health facilities. In parts of southern Afghanistan, hospitals are treating three to four severely malnourished children for every available bed.
According to UNICEF, admissions of severely malnourished children with medical complications rose by around one-third over the past year, increasing from 6,000 in July 2025 to 8,000 in July 2026.
The agency said humanitarian capacity has simultaneously been shrinking because of funding cuts. More than 100 treatment sites for children suffering from severe wasting have closed this year compared with 2025, leaving remaining centres to handle a larger number of patients.
UNICEF’s nutrition programme has received only 22 per cent of the $180 million needed for this year, highlighting the scale of the funding shortfall.
The worsening crisis is also being driven by multiple pressures on Afghan households. Prolonged drought, destructive rainfall and flash floods have affected food security, while regional instability has disrupted trade.
The return of more than six million Afghans since 2023 has further increased pressure on jobs, housing, healthcare and other basic services, UNICEF said.
As household resources decline, families are increasingly cutting back on both the quantity and quality of food. UNICEF noted that some infants beginning complementary food at six months may receive little more than bread with tea or diluted yoghurt.
UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan Tajudeen Oyewale called for greater emphasis on early intervention, saying children should receive nutritional support before their condition becomes severe enough to require hospital treatment.
UNICEF warned that expanding preventive nutrition programmes and securing sustained humanitarian funding would be crucial to reducing severe cases and easing pressure on Afghanistan’s overstretched health facilities.
