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Child Malnutrition Reaches Critical Levels in Afghanistan, UN Warns
🇵🇦 Panama /Health & Science

Child Malnutrition Reaches Critical Levels in Afghanistan, UN Warns

From TVN Panamá · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Acute child malnutrition has reached critical levels in Afghanistan, with a record number of provinces affected.
  • The UN warns that many severely malnourished children arrive too late at health facilities to be saved.
  • The World Food Programme (WFP) faces a severe funding shortfall, limiting its ability to provide aid to millions facing acute hunger.

Child malnutrition in Afghanistan has reached critical levels, with the number of children treated in emergency facilities soaring, the UN warned Tuesday. The United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) highlighted that wasting, the deadliest form of malnutrition, is now critical in a third of the country's provinces.

Child wasting, the deadliest form of malnutrition, has now reached critical levels in a third of the country's provinces.

— John AylieffThe WFP country director in Afghanistan described the severity of the malnutrition crisis.

John Aylieff, WFP country director in Afghanistan, stated from Kabul that a record twelve provinces are now in this dire situation. He noted that while the number of children admitted to health centers is increasing significantly, many arrive too late for treatment. Children under two years old constitute 80% of the most severe cases treated in emergency rooms.

The number of children admitted to health centers is increasing significantly, but NGOs note that many arrive too late to be saved.

— John AylieffAylieff highlighted the critical state of children arriving at health facilities.

"Far too many children are dying today in Afghanistan from acute malnutrition. Deaths that are, of course, completely preventable," Aylieff lamented. Afghanistan has already seen a record rise in malnutrition cases in 2025, exacerbated by a deadly earthquake last year, multiple climate-related disasters, and the return of millions of Afghans expelled from Iran and Pakistan.

Far too many children are dying today in Afghanistan from acute malnutrition. Deaths that are, of course, completely preventable.

— John AylieffAylieff expressed deep concern over preventable child deaths due to malnutrition.

The WFP requires an urgent $540 million to cover its operations for the next six months. Aylieff expressed dismay at the lack of international attention to the crisis, describing the food crisis as "becoming uncontrollable." Currently, the WFP can only feed one in nine Afghans facing acute hunger due to funding shortages.

I find it tragic that so few voices are being raised to denounce the disastrous situation in Afghanistan and this food crisis that, according to us, is becoming uncontrollable.

— John AylieffAylieff criticized the lack of international attention to the unfolding humanitarian disaster.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by TVN Panamá in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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