At least 15 children in Nangarhar province have died of respiratory illnesses this past winter season with another 900 children treated for related illnesses, health authorities say.
The latest figures mark a surge in cases of children needing treatment for pneumonia and illnesses related to the common cold, according to a source from Nangarhar’s regional hospital, who spoke to Rukhshana Media on condition of anonymity.
The hospital source said this number of children being treated for respiratory illnesses is unprecedented in their experience. They attributed the high number to the severity of the cold weather across the province.
Other factors that may be contributing included environmental pollution, and poverty, the source said.
A Nangarhar resident from Hesarak district, Gul Noor, said his five-year-old son was among the children who died from respiratory causes.
He said his son was hospitalized for two months at the province’s regional hospital for treatment, but his son’s condition ultimately deteriorated, leading to his death.
Gul Noor blamed the Taliban de facto authorities, saying the government hospital is ill-equipped and provides inadequate care.
Despite financial constraints, Gul Noor had travelled with his son to the regional hospital for treatment, but he said the treatment was insufficient.
Nawruzi, a pediatric doctor at the hospital who goes by one name, said he had treated a significant number of children suffering from respiratory illnesses and pneumonia over the past two months.
Some of these cases were critical, posing a risk of fatality, he said.
The Taliban’s head of public health in Nangarhar Aminullah Sharif acknowledged that the group has received reports from several districts regarding a surge in respiratory illnesses.
He said mobile health teams have been dispatched to affected areas to help treat the escalating numbers.
