The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that Afghanistan is facing a worsening humanitarian and health crisis in 2025, with millions of returning refugees expected to stretch the country’s already fragile health system.
In its latest report, the WHO said about 1.6 million Afghans are expected to return from Pakistan and nearly 2 million from Iran this year, fuelling further strain on healthcare. The agency urged the international community to step up support.
Dr Luo Dapeng, the WHO Representative in Afghanistan, said the situation was urgent, warning that “the health system is fragile, under-resourced, and cannot cope alone with the scale of need”.
The report found that 22.9 million Afghans – nearly half the country’s population – will need humanitarian assistance in 2025. However, current plans only cover 16.8 million people, leaving a funding gap of $2.42 billion.
Afghanistan’s rural areas remain the most vulnerable, with many communities lacking access to basic services. WHO also highlighted the risk of outbreaks of polio, malaria, COVID-19, diarrhoeal disease, and other infections. According to UNICEF, more than 875,000 Afghan children under five suffer from severe acute malnutrition, increasing their vulnerability to disease.
Globally, malaria alone killed more than 600,000 people in 2022, according to WHO, underscoring fears that Afghanistan could see a surge if prevention measures falter.
Humanitarian analysts warn that unless urgent funding is secured, the crisis could escalate ahead of winter.
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World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Thursday that he still hopes the U.S. administration will reconsider its decision to withdraw from the organisation next month, warning that its exit would be a loss for the world.
At a WHO supported malnutrition ward in Khartoum, doctors and mothers describe children arriving too weak to eat or drink as nearly three years of conflict, displacement and disease push Sudan towards famine.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has declared the end of a 16th Ebola outbreak, closing a two month emergency in Kasai Province that pushed national and international teams into an intensive response.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that all known strains of the mpox virus remain in circulation, raising concerns about sustained community transmission if outbreaks are not quickly contained. At the same time, the newly identified clade Ib has now spread beyond Africa.
Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani has died at the age of 93, his foundation said on Monday.
More than 100 vehicles were involved in a massive pileup on Interstate 96 in western Michigan on Monday (19 January), forcing the highway to shut in both directions amid severe winter weather.
The European Parliament has frozen the ratification of a trade agreement with the United States after fresh tariff threats from Donald Trump, escalating tensions between Washington and Brussels.
A fresh consignment of precision-guided munitions has departed from the Indian city of Nagpur bound for Yerevan, marking the latest phase in the rapidly expanding defence partnership between India and Armenia.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for 19 January, covering the latest developments you need to know.
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Poland will begin phasing out the special residence and welfare rules granted to Ukrainians who fled the war with Russia, shifting them onto the country’s standard legal framework for foreign nationals from March, the government said on Tuesday.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington would “work something out” with NATO allies on Tuesday, defending his approach to the alliance while renewing his push for U.S. control of Greenland amid rising tensions with Europe.
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