Consequences of U.S. Aid Suspension: 202 Health Centers Shut Down, Says WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) in its latest report has stated that with the suspension of financial aid from the United States in February of this year, operations at 202 health centers in Afghanistan have been halted.
In the report published today (Thursday, April 24), the WHO said that the closure of these health centers has disrupted access to essential medical and health services for 1.8 million people across 28 provinces.
This report comes after the WHO had previously warned that 80% of the health centers it supports in Afghanistan could shut down due to budget shortages.
According to the report, Afghanistan is currently grappling with widespread outbreaks of diseases such as malnutrition, measles, malaria, dengue fever, polio, and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever.
The report adds that in March, cases of acute respiratory infections dropped by 18.9% compared to February, reaching 139,226 cases with 309 related deaths. The WHO attributed this decline to rising temperatures and increased vaccination coverage against pneumonia and influenza.
Referring to a sharp rise in measles cases, the report notes that in March, suspected cases of the disease surged by 42.8% to 12,535, with 82 reported deaths. The reported mortality rate for measles is 0.7%, highlighting the severity of the disease among unvaccinated populations.
According to WHO data for March, there were 794 cases of malaria, 29 cases of Crimean-Congo fever, 18 cases of dengue, and 147 cases of COVID-19. Additionally, cases of acute watery diarrhea rose by 9.4% to 7,128.
The organization emphasized that the halt in international aid—especially the withdrawal of U.S. funding, which was one of the largest donors to Afghanistan—has pushed the country’s healthcare system to the brink of a “humanitarian catastrophe.” The WHO has called on the international community to urgently resume financial support to prevent avoidable deaths, particularly among children and women.
