The International Committee of the Red Cross says that cases of child malnutrition have increased by 90 percent in 2022 compared to all of the previous year.
A report published by the ICRC on November 24 looked at the condition of children in the 33 hospitals in Afghanistan that are supported by the international organization. It found that the number of cases of malnutrition of children increased from 33,000 cases in 2021 to more than 63,000 cases to date in 2022.
As well, there has been a sharp increase in the number of pediatric cases of pneumonia. In just one children’s hospital in Kabul that the ICRC supports, it found that the number of children under 5 years of age being treated for pneumonia has increased by 55 percent compared to the same period in 2021.
The International Committee of the Red Cross explains that food and fuel shortages have rapidly increased malnutrition and pneumonia among Afghan children, thereby putting thousands of children at risk of death.
Most Afghan citizens interviewed by the ICRC about their concerns and problems on the eve of winter said that their families are facing a difficult choice between providing food or fuel. As a result, more than half of Afghanistan’s population (24 million people) needs humanitarian aid and are at severe risk of food insecurity. That warning follows a similar one from Save the Children, which estimates that nearly 10 million children are living in bad conditions due to a lack of proper nutrition.
Martin Schüepp, the operations officer of the International Committee of the Red Cross, also emphasized that aid organizations such as the ICRC cannot fill the needs of the people of Afghanistan and so is asking foreign governments and relief organizations to restart their humanitarian work in Afghanistan and again support millions of people in need in this country.
