KABUL: Amid the perceived humanitarian crisis that has gripped Afghanistan since the Taliban's takeover last year, there has been a steep rise in pneumonia cases, the Tolo News reported.
Quoting doctors at the Indira Gandhi Children's Hospital (IGCH) in Kabul, the Tolo News added that more than 30 pneumonia cases are being reported at the hospital every day. According to the report, the pneumonia outbreak is being attributed to poor hygiene, polluted air and extremely cold temperatures with the onset of winter.
Quoting officials in the Ministry of Public Health in Afghanistan, the Tolo News further reported that more than 9,60,000 pneumonia cases have been reported across the country over the past 11 months, with the majority of patients being children.
Saifullah Abasin, a doctor, said 30 to 50 pneumonia patients are hospitalized in Afghanistan every day. He added that 30 per cent of the patients are brought to hospitals in a critical condition as they have to make a long and arduous journey from the remote corners of the country.
This is not Afghanistan's first brush with a public health emergency under the Taliban. Recently, more than 600 people were found to be infected with a cholera-like enteric disease in the country. The outbreak left 15 people dead. (ANI)
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