The World Health Organization (WHO) in a report confirmed that 160 people have died of measles in Afghanistan since the beginning of this year.
According to the WHO report, more than 36,000 cases of measles have been recorded in Afghanistan, 80.1 percent of which are children under the age of five.
Additionally, more than 45 percent of the recorded cases are women, with most measles cases occurring in Khost province. “Since the beginning of 2024, a total of 36,618 suspected measles cases and 160 deaths have been recorded, of which 80.1 percent were children under the age of five and more than 45 percent were women,” the report said.
A number of doctors blame the lack of vaccination, migration, and people’s lack of awareness about measles as the reasons for the increase in the disease.