WHO: “169,656 people have been affected by respiratory diseases in the first month of 2024”
WHO: “169,656 people have been affected by respiratory diseases in the first month of 2024”

The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported an increase in the number of respiratory patients in Afghanistan with the release of a new report. According to the organization, in the first month of 2024, 169,656 people have been affected by respiratory diseases, with the highest number being women and children. The findings of this organization […]

The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported an increase in the number of respiratory patients in Afghanistan with the release of a new report.

According to the organization, in the first month of 2024, 169,656 people have been affected by respiratory diseases, with the highest number being women and children.

The findings of this organization indicate that 62% of respiratory disease patients are children and 49.3% are women and girls, and the average recorded rate of this disease is higher compared to similar periods in the years 2020 to 2022.

Meanwhile, some citizens of the country attribute the increase in respiratory diseases to the lack of facilities and cold weather.

Sharifa, a resident of the Enjil district of Herat, stated that her infant had been suffering from a respiratory illness for a month. Confirming the rise in respiratory diseases, she expressed, “The cases of chest and lung illness have increased significantly. In our village, all the children are sick. It has been a month since my child fell ill with a chest infection, and he is not recovering.”

Another resident of Herat city, Jameela, mentioned, “Poverty and unemployment have increased, and we lack facilities. All the children and women are falling ill. There is a lot of respiratory distress among people. There is no proper fuel, no proper housing, and no proper life. All our children are suffering from chest infections and colds.”

Previously, the World Health Organization had stated that with the onset of winter, acute respiratory infections (ARI) had increased throughout Afghanistan, with 1,310,359 cases of ARI registered nationwide.

Following the coming of the Taliban to power and the cessation of foreign aid, the healthcare system of Afghanistan and the livelihood of its citizens have faced collapse.