Tweet
KABUL, 17 November 2023 – Thousands of Afghan refugees who have crossed into Afghanistan from Pakistan in recent weeks are experiencing alarming levels of serious illnesses that are escalating quickly, including life-threatening and highly contagious acute diarrhoea, said Save the Children.
Over 3,000 cases of acute respiratory infections and 1,200 cases of diarrhoea in children have been reported at Save the Children health facilities in the past month. This is being driven by families having limited or no access to clean water for drinking and washing, and people being forced to defecate in the open due to a lack of toilets.
Some 286,000 people have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan since 1 October, with 139,000 arriving in November alone, according to the UN, after Pakistan announced that all undocumented foreigners must leave the country voluntarily by 1 November or face deportation. ...
The severe respiratory infections are likely due to prolonged exposure to dust storms, enclosed smoky shelters, other sick people, and extreme cold weather, as many families have travelled to Afghanistan in open, overcrowded trucks. ...
