KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The World Health Organization (WHO) says that following the suspension of U.S. aid in February, operations at 202 health centers across Afghanistan have been halted, disrupting essential medical services for 1.8 million people in 28 provinces.
In its latest report on Thursday, WHO warned that without immediate donor support, there is a serious risk of further collapse in the country’s already fragile health system.
The agency called for urgent international assistance to restart services.
Earlier, WHO had warned that due to funding shortages, 80 percent of health centers under its support in Afghanistan could shut down, and over 220 more might close by June 2025, cutting off basic healthcare for an additional 1.8 million people.
The closures come at a time when Afghanistan is battling widespread health challenges, including malnutrition, measles, malaria, dengue fever, polio, and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever.
According to WHO, 139,226 cases of acute respiratory infection and 309 related deaths were recorded in March, marking an 18.9 percent drop compared to February. The decrease is attributed to warmer weather and increased vaccination coverage for pneumococcal and influenza. In February, WHO had recorded 171,659 respiratory infection cases and 350 deaths.
In March, WHO reported 12,535 new suspected cases of measles, a 42.8 percent rise compared to February, with 82 deaths recorded. The measles fatality rate stands at 0.7 percent, indicating a severe impact among unvaccinated populations.
The same month, 794 malaria cases, 29 Congo fever cases, 18 dengue cases, and 147 COVID-19 cases were also reported. Cases of acute watery diarrhea rose to 7,128—an increase of 9.4 percent from February.
