War-battered Afghanistan struggles with health problems

By Necva Tastan

ISTANBUL (AA) - Afghanistan is facing a number of health problems, including eye problems and the crippling disease polio, in addition to the poisoning of girls at a primary school, local media reported.

Children, particularly girls, struggle with sight problems as they face an uncertain future and endure social isolation in Uruzgan, southern Afghanistan. Residents with this eye disease “must seek treatment abroad, as it cannot be provided within the country,” according to Tolo News based in the capital, Kabul. Tolo did not name the disease in question.

After acquiring the necessary permits from the interim Health Ministry, a medical team supported by Australia treated hundreds of blind individuals in Uruzgan.

Meanwhile, residents of the eastern Nangarhar province are urging more polio vaccination campaigns. According to a UNICEF official, unvaccinated children are more prone to contracting polio, as a fourth case was recently reported in Nangarhar. “Nangarhar and all the eastern zones of the country are in danger of polio,” said the ministry. Poliovirus is the cause of the crippling and potentially fatal disease.

Separately, about 80 girls in primary schools in the Sar-e-Pul province in northern Afghanistan have been hospitalized after being poisoned.

Afghanistan, a war-battered country, has a weak infrastructure and health system, especially since 2021, after being taken over by the Taliban.