KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has reported a sharp rise in severe acute malnutrition among children in southern Afghanistan, with many arriving at treatment centers in critical condition.
In a report released on Thursday, the medical aid group said the number of children admitted with severe acute malnutrition and medical complications at its nutrition centers in the south rose more than 30% between January and April compared with the average for the same period over the past three years. Most of the children were under one-year-old.
“Children are reaching us far too late in the process, and they often present in critical condition with preventable medical complications,” said Ana Lilia Banda, MSF medical coordinator in southern Afghanistan.
The increase reflects worsening food insecurity and the breakdown of early detection and treatment systems, MSF said. International funding cuts have led to the suspension of around 445 health facilities, including 203 mobile health and nutrition teams, across Afghanistan, according to World Health Organization figures cited in the report.
Prolonged drought, reduced crop yields, border closures disrupting therapeutic food supplies, and rising food prices have further strained access to nutrition, particularly for pregnant women and mothers.
“Malnutrition is not only a medical issue but also a social issue,” Banda said. “When mothers themselves do not have enough to eat, how are they expected to feed their babies?”
She added that MSF teams are increasingly seeing infants under one-year-old suffering from malnutrition, often brought in by mothers or caregivers who are themselves in poor health and in need of medical support.
In Helmand province, where MSF operates at Boost Provincial Hospital, the organization said more than 1,500 children with severe acute malnutrition and medical complications were admitted between January and April 2026, more than double the number recorded during the same period in 2022.
In neighboring Kandahar province, MSF said it admitted more than 570 children with severe malnutrition during the same period, while referring more than 300 others to other health facilities because of limited capacity.
The organization called on international donors, health authorities, and aid agencies to urgently restore funding for nutrition programs and ensure a steady supply of therapeutic food and essential medicines.
Afghanistan continues to face one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises following years of conflict, economic decline, climate shocks, and declining foreign aid since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
According to the World Food Programme (WFP), around five million children and mothers in Afghanistan are in urgent need of malnutrition treatment, while the United Nations estimates that 22 million people, nearly half the country’s population, require humanitarian assistance in 2026.
Aid agencies have warned that without sustained international support, food insecurity and malnutrition are likely to worsen, particularly among women and children.
