Infectious diseases surge in Afghanistan as health system faces mounting pressure: WHO
By The South Asia Times
KABUL - Afghanistan recorded sharp increases in several infectious diseases in July, including dengue fever, COVID-19, acute watery diarrhea and respiratory infections, as seasonal outbreaks and limited resources continued to put pressure on the country’s health system, the World Health Organization (WHO) said, according to local broadcaster Amu TV.
WHO recorded 473 suspected dengue cases in July, an 85.5% increase from 255 cases in June. Confirmed COVID-19 cases also rose by 79.3%, from 87 to 156. No deaths from either disease have been reported since January.
Cases of acute watery diarrhea with dehydration increased 31.6% to 23,985, with 14 deaths reported during the month.
Acute respiratory infection-pneumonia remained the largest reported disease burden, with 78,082 cases and 198 deaths in July, an 18.9% increase from June. Suspected measles cases rose 6.1% to 2,562, resulting in nine deaths.
In contrast, suspected Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever cases fell 37.5% to 302, while deaths declined from 21 to nine.
From January through July, Afghanistan recorded more than 780,000 respiratory infection-pneumonia cases and 1,563 deaths, WHO said.
The health situation is further complicated by the return of more than 1.07 million people through five major border crossings during the first seven months of the year. Torkham on the Pakistan border recorded the largest number, with more than 549,000 returnees.
In July alone, 155,925 people returned, 62% from Pakistan. Health teams screened tens of thousands of travelers for infectious diseases, identifying cases of COVID-19, dengue and acute watery diarrhea.
WHO said it continued supporting 33 primary healthcare facilities in five provinces and distributed medical supplies estimated to serve nearly 595,000 people.
The agency warned that seasonal disease peaks combined with limited resources were continuing to place significant pressure on Afghanistan’s ability to respond to outbreaks.
