3.7 Million Children in Afghanistan Suffer Acute Malnutrition Annually, UNICEF Warns

Afghanistan faces one of the world’s worst child malnutrition crises, with approximately 3.7 million children suffering from acute malnutrition annually, UNICEF reports.

Tajudeen Oyewale, UNICEF’s representative in Afghanistan, emphasized the urgent need to address this crisis during Tuesday’s launch of revised malnutrition prevention and treatment guidelines.

Afghanistan’s malnutrition crisis has worsened dramatically since August 2021 amid economic collapse, drought, and humanitarian funding shortages. The World Food Programme estimates over 90 percent of Afghan households cannot afford sufficient food, creating a generation of children facing permanent developmental damage from chronic hunger and inadequate nutrition.

The updated guidelines introduce significant changes in treatment and prevention approaches, with greater focus on life-saving interventions for the most severe cases of malnutrition.

Child malnutrition in Afghanistan is driven by multiple factors including poverty, food insecurity, limited access to healthcare, and poor maternal nutrition. The crisis particularly affects rural areas where families struggle with both food scarcity and lack of medical facilities, while ongoing restrictions on female healthcare workers have further limited treatment access.

The new framework strengthens family-based dietary regimens and increases the role of local communities in addressing malnutrition at the grassroots level.

For the first time, the guidelines provide care instructions for infants under six months old, representing a critical step in reducing child malnutrition.

UNICEF hopes these revised guidelines will significantly improve treatment outcomes and save children’s lives across Afghanistan’s devastating malnutrition crisis.

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