Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has warned that the number of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition in southern Afghanistan has reached its highest level in recent years, raising concerns over a rapidly worsening humanitarian crisis.
The organization said cuts in international assistance, particularly the suspension of a large share of U.S. humanitarian funding, have severely disrupted access to healthcare and nutrition services for thousands of vulnerable children.
According to MSF, hospitals and nutrition centers supported by the organization in Helmand and Kandahar recorded a sharp increase in admissions during the first four months of 2026. The number of children treated for severe acute malnutrition rose by more than 30 percent compared with the average of the previous three years.
MSF noted that until mid-2025, the United States had been the largest humanitarian donor to Afghanistan. In 2024 alone, Washington contributed approximately $736 million—around 45 percent of the United Nations’ humanitarian appeal for the country. The suspension of much of that funding has left many health and nutrition programs struggling to continue their operations.
The World Health Organization says funding shortages have forced 445 health facilities, including 203 mobile health and nutrition teams, to suspend or halt their services. These facilities played a crucial role in identifying and treating malnourished children before their conditions became life-threatening.
MSF reported that Bost Hospital in Helmand has recorded its highest number of admissions for severely malnourished children in the past five years. Between January and April 2026, more than 1,500 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition with medical complications were admitted for treatment—double the number recorded during the same period in 2022.
The organization warned that prolonged drought, declining agricultural production, border closures and worsening food insecurity have further intensified the crisis. Health workers also report that many mothers bringing their children for treatment are themselves malnourished, making recovery more difficult for their children.
Doctors Without Borders has called on the international community to urgently increase funding for nutrition and healthcare programs to prevent a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation and a rise in child deaths across Afghanistan.
