Taliban officials in northeastern Panjshir province have confirmed the detection of 10 new cases of chickenpox in the province.
In a Persian tweet on Wednesday, the Taliban Directorate of Information and Culture in Panjshir stated that the infections were registered in Darkhel village of Rokha district.
To address the situation, health teams have been reportedly dispatched to the Rokha district.
Earlier this month, at least 82 cases of chickenpox virus were detected in some other parts of Panjshir province.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), chickenpox is an acute, highly contagious disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV). This viral infection creates a skin rash that begins with tiny, painful blisters and progresses to pimples.
Chickenpox is common, and the majority of patients recover in two to four weeks. It is, however, an infectious disease, and persons who have not previously been immunized or exposed to the virus are vulnerable to infection.
Following the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021, the country’s health system has collapsed, resulting in a shortage of medicine, equipment, and healthcare professionals in many hospitals.
Earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that Afghanistan’s healthcare system is in a dire state, with an estimated 17.6 million people in need of life-saving humanitarian health assistance in 2023.
With poverty and hunger also on the rise, the situation is becoming increasingly dire as the UN has repeatedly warned that over 28 million people in Afghanistan are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
