One million children in Afghanistan face deadly malnutrition — UN News

Some 3.7 million children in Afghanistan are suffering from wasting, one of the most dangerous forms of malnutrition, with around one million currently battling the most severe, life-threatening form of the condition. Malnutrition, driven by the lack of access to adequate food, compromises immune systems and makes children far more vulnerable to common infections. The UN children’s fund, UNICEF, said on Tuesday that children under two currently account for 83 per cent of severe acute malnutrition cases. Hospitals are overwhelmed by increasing demand, UNICEF has warned. In parts of southern Afghanistan, hospitals are seeing three to four severely malnourished children for every available bed. Severe acute malnutrition cases which were admitted with medical complications have risen by one-third from the same time last year – from 6,000 in July 2025 to 8,000 by July 2026. The spike in malnutrition cases is caused by a mix of environmental and political factors. Afghanistan has endured successive years of drought, followed by destructive heavy rainfall and flash floods. This year’s record-strength El Niño climate pattern is expected to intensify the extreme weather. At the same time, regional instability is disrupting cross-border trade and the return to the country of over six million people since 2023 is putting pressure on the overstretched job market and public services, including housing and health services. UNICEF said…