Afghanistan Faces Severe Health and Humanitarian Crisis, UNICEF Warns

Afghanistan Faces Severe Health and Humanitarian Crisis, UNICEF Warns
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Afghanistan is grappling with a severe health and humanitarian crisis, with children bearing the brunt, according to a new report from UNICEF published by Amu TV. In the first half of 2025 alone, 357 children died from measles, amidst over 74,800 suspected cases, predominantly among children under five.

The crisis extends to other preventable illnesses, with over 73,570 cases of acute watery diarrhea and more than 824,000 cases of respiratory infections/pneumonia recorded. Afghanistan also faces a critical child nutrition emergency, with over 3.5 million children suffering from wasting, and 1.4 million at high risk of death, largely among those under two years old.

Decades of conflict, widespread poverty, recurrent climate shocks, and failing social services have left over 22.9 million people—more than half the population—in need of humanitarian assistance. The situation has been exacerbated by the mass deportations of over 714,000 Afghans from Iran between January and June, further straining already scarce resources. UNICEF has appealed for $1.2 billion in 2025 to fund its essential work, but its humanitarian appeal is currently only 51% funded, threatening to undermine vital response efforts.