October 12, 2021
1 min read

Unicef presses Taliban to resume kids’ vax drives

Several cases of polio and measles were reported in Afghanistan as the vaccination campaign had been affected following Taliban’s takeover in mid-August….reports Asian Lite News

The Unicef has urged the Taliban caretaker government in Afghanistan to resume children’s vaccination amid concerns of the spread of polio and measles in the war-torn country.

“The health system is about to collapse, we have weeks, not months or years. We will have humanitarian catastrophe,” Xinhua news agency quoted Unicef Deputy Executive Director Omar Abdi as saying in a statement on Twitter on Sunday.

Abdi, who recently ended a four-day visit to Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan, stressed the need of children access to basic healthcare, immunisation, nutrition, water and sanitation and child protection services.

In Kabul, Abdi visited the Indira Gandhi Children’s hospital during which he was accompanied by Unicef Regional Director George Laryea-Adjei and the Agency’s Afghanistan Representative Herve Ludovic de Lys.

In the nutrition ward, he met dozens of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, a life-threatening condition.

According to the Unicef, without immediate action, an estimated 1 million children in Afghanistan are projected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition in 2021 and could die.

Severe outbreaks of measles and acute watery diarrhoea have further exacerbated the situation, putting more children at risk.

In Sunday’s statement, Abdi also called for an immediate resumption of measles and Covid-19 immunisation campaigns to help protect children and communities from vaccine-preventable diseases.

Several cases of polio and measles were reported in Afghanistan as the vaccination campaign had been affected following Taliban’s takeover in mid-August.

Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only countries in the world where polio remains endemic.

ALSO READ: Taliban to continue talks with US if necessary

ALSO READ: Taliban deploy new team in Doha talks

Previous Story

US dollar smuggling on the rise in Afghanistan

Next Story

Lanka denies Indian pressure over holding PC polls

Latest from -Top News

Pakistan on the Brink: War, Weakness, Woes

The reason behind growing anxiety and consternation in Islamabad is the depleting reserves of its military’s artillery and ammunition and also a ruined economy…reports Asian Lite News As the tensions between India

UNSC Convenes Over India-Pak Crisis

Pakistan is currently an elected member of the Council and will participate in the meeting….reports Asian Lite News The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will be holding a closed-door meeting on Monday

SYRIA RAIDS: Arab League Slams Israel

The Arab League condemned the airstrikes and called on the international community and the United Nations to confront what it described as “repeated violations committed by Israel against the Syrian state.” The

Singapore’s Ruling Party Achieves Landslide Victory

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, whose party won the election, thanked supporters.,..reports Asian Lite News Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) won 87 of the 97 seats in Parliament in Saturday’s general election,

Jaishankar, Lavrov Discuss Pahalgam Terror Attack

Both the Ministers discussed issues of Russian-Indian cooperation and the aggravation of India-Pakistan relations following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar spoke to the Russian Foreign Minister
Go toTop

Don't Miss

In 6 months, around 190k Afghan refugees deported from Iran

The refugees who were forcefully sent to Iran also expressed

Afghan TV anchor surrounded by armed Taliban during news show

The clip was shared online by the TV studio after