KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that the measles outbreak in Afghanistan has killed at least 170 people since January, with the majority being women and children under the age of five.
In a report published today, July 25, the WHO said that since January, a total of 39,826 suspected measles cases have been recorded, with 80.1% being children and 45.3% females.
WHO says that the epidemiological curve of suspected measles cases has shown an increasing trend since January, which is higher than the trend reported in 2023.
According to the report, the eastern Khost province has the highest cumulative incidence of suspected cases per 10,000 populations (42.2), followed by Balkh (24.5), Samangan (19.2), and Jowzjan (18.6).
The report indicates that since January, over 19,000 children aged 9-59 months have received the measles vaccine across Afghanistan. Additionally, nearly 600,000 children were vaccinated during April and May in two phases of the Multi-Antigen Acceleration Campaign (MAAC) across 25 provinces.
Despite ongoing vaccination campaigns, the significant rise in suspected measles cases and associated deaths underscores the challenges in controlling the disease’s spread and protecting vulnerable populations, especially women and children.
Meanwhile, humanitarian agencies in Afghanistan, including those supporting the health sector, are experiencing one of the most severe funding shortfalls in recent years. These significant financial gaps have led many organizations to reduce or even suspend their operations.
Last year, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) halted funding for 25 hospitals across Afghanistan due to financial shortfall. In March, the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA), which had been supporting health facilities throughout the country, ceased its operations after the Taliban demanded the end of all Swedish activities in Afghanistan following the burning of Quran copies outside Stockholm mosque.
