Afghanistan: pneumonia epidemic among children, victims first of malnutrition and then of one of the coldest winters in recent years

ROME – The pediatric ward of the Indira Gandhi hospital in Kabul is currently welcoming many children with symptoms of pneumonia, all from the different provinces of the country. At least fifty have arrived in recent days, forced to share a bed in two or three. Ibrahim, who is seven months old, is one of the youngest children hospitalized with an ongoing respiratory infection.

The story of little Ibrahim. “Ibrahim has been ill for more than a week now. He has a fever, cough, diarrhea and an ear infection. We took him first to Logar Provincial Hospital where we live. But after three days his condition didn’t improve and so the doctors told us to take him to Kabul,” he told theUNICEF Gul Bibi, Ibrahim’s mother.

The journey to the hospital. Gul Bibi, with her seven-month-old baby, traveled for three hours from the village of Maikhail, in the province of Logar, to reach the capital and take the baby to the Indira Gandhi hospital. He had to change four means of transport, paying for tickets which unfortunately affect his family’s economy. In fact, like most people in Afghanistan, Ibrahim’s family also has limited financial resources and lives mainly from agriculture.

The intense cold. “Winter is very cold this year. We struggle to heat our homes and keep our children warm. I have five children and there is often not enough food to feed them. My son’s illness is an additional economic burden for us,” said Gul Bibi. The cold this winter, with temperatures well below freezing in most of the country, has increased the number of children with symptoms of acute respiratory infections More than 25,000 cases were reported in December 2022, double the number of cases recorded in December in the past three years Between 65 and 75 percent of children who are ill are under the age of five years.

Economic crisis and climate crisis. Afghanistan is facing such a severe economic crisis that families are finding it difficult even to heat their homes adequately. For this reason, the number of children with pneumonia is growing. Already weakened by years of deprivation, children across the country are now victims of a dangerous combination of malnutrition, freezing weather and rampant poverty.

Pediatrician testimony. “The general economic situation in the country is bleak. People are struggling to feed their children and keep them warm. They burn wood, clothes, tires and plastic to heat their homes,” Dr. Shir Mohammed, Indira Gandhi’s pediatrician, tells UNICEF . “Malnutrition, the food crisis, the cold and air pollution are factors behind the increase in acute respiratory infections in children”. Last week, a record number of 110 children with severe respiratory crises were admitted to the ward of Kabul’s children’s hospital. Some of these were transferred to intensive care.

Symptoms of malnutrition. When Dr. Shir Mohammed examined Ibrahim, he noticed swelling on the boy’s feet. Ibrahim appears to be in good health, but instead, in addition to the acute respiratory infection, he also suffers from a rare but serious form of malnutrition caused by a lack of protein in the diet. This form of malnutrition manifests itself precisely with swelling under the skin. To cope with the growing number of cases, Indira Gandhi Hospital had to enlarge the space dedicated to malnutrition cases. If in the past a room was enough to accommodate the sick children, today an entire unit is needed.

The work of UNICEF. UNICEF supports Indira Gandhi hospital and other health centers in the country. Provides ready-to-use therapeutic foods for the treatment of severely acutely malnourished children, with help from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund (AHF ) and Global Affairs Canada (GAC).