Infant Mortality Spikes in Afghanistan as Officials Say 13,000+ Newborns Have Died Since January

by | Mar 24, 2022

Infant Mortality Spikes in Afghanistan as Officials Say 13,000+ Newborns Have Died Since January

by | Mar 24, 2022

The Afghan government has estimated that more than 13,000 newborns have died in the country so far this year – just six months after the US withdrew humanitarian aid, seized official bank accounts and sanctioned the new regime in Kabul. 

Health Ministry spokesman Jawid Hazher “expressed alarm” over the growing crisis last week, saying there have been about 124,800 premature births in Afghanistan since the beginning of 2022 alone. 

“Normally 10 percent of these children die,” he added, “so, as an estimate, 13,700 of these children died” since January. 

While Hazher said economic factors such as malnutrition are driving the surge in deaths among mothers and babies, poor diets may not explain everything. Malalai Rahimi, who heads up a maternity hospital in Kabul, told Tolo News that health facilities have struggled “to get the required equipment” and medical staff, noting that midwives and doctors aren’t available in every district, and that some provinces even lack “a modern hospital.”

Though the latest estimate on infant mortality comes from the Taliban’s Health Ministry, international aid groups have painted a similarly dire picture for Afghanistan, some warning of the collapse of its healthcare system for months. 

In November, Doctors Without Borders described a “worrying increase” in the rate of malnutrition across southwestern Afghanistan, citing “the suspension of international aid” following the Taliban’s seizure of power last year. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has also predicted an “imminent humanitarian catastrophe” unless “urgent action is taken.”

Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, Deputy Special Representative for the Secretary-General of the UN, described the current crisis as “staggering” and “almost inconceivable,” saying that up to 95 percent of Afghans are “not eating enough food, with that percentage rising to almost 100 percent for female-headed households.”

“Hospital wards are filled with children suffering from malnutrition: smaller than they should be, many weighing at one year what an infant of six months would weigh in a developed country, and some so weak they are unable to move,” Alakbarov continued.

UN emergency aid coordinator Martin Griffiths has attributed the crisis, in part, to international sanctions and the seizure of government bank accounts abroad. The Joe Biden administration has spearheaded those policies, recently declaring that it would not return $7 billion in frozen funds, though it did claim it would use the money for aid. 

While the US has loosened some sanctions and allowed aid to enter the country, restrictions on banking continue to pose a massive obstacle for humanitarian orgs, as Afghanistan’s financial sector remains barely functional.

“Aid groups delivering humanitarian assistance say they are unable to move funds into Afghanistan because international banks remain wary of preexisting sanctions on the Taliban,” Human Rights Watch reported last week, adding that “payments to Afghanistan are routinely blocked by banks wary of running afoul of sanctions.”

About Kyle Anzalone and Will Porter

Kyle Anzalone is the opinion editor of Antiwar.com and news editor of the Libertarian Institute. Will Porter is the assistant news editor of the Libertarian Institute and a staff writer and editor at RT. Kyle Anzalone and Will Porter host Conflicts of Interest along with Connor Freeman.

Our Books

latest book lineup.

Related Articles

Related

News Roundup 3/28/2024

News Roundup 3/28/2024

UK News British General Admits UK Couldn’t Fight Russia for More Than 2 Months AWC Israel Netanyahu Now Planning to Send Delegation to US for Rafah Talks AWC IDF Officer: ‘We Are Demolishing Everything Before Entering’ The Institute   Poll: Majority of Americans...

read more
News Roundup 3/28/2024

News Roundup 3/27/24

Ukraine Ukraine Demands More Weapons: ‘Give Us the Damn Patriots’ The Institute  Russian FSB Chief Says US, UK, and Ukraine Could Have Been Involved in Moscow Terror Attack AWC China US, Japan to Strengthen Military Ties in Buildup Aimed at China AWC Israel Israel...

read more
News Roundup 3/28/2024

News Roundup 3/26/2024

Assange UK Court to Decide Tuesday If Julian Assange Can Appeal Extradition AWC Ukraine The DoD Used $300 Million in ‘Savings’ to Send Arms to Ukraine While Facing a $10 Billion Deficit The Institute  China Beijing Slams US for Getting Involved in China-India...

read more
News Roundup 3/28/2024

News Roundup 3/25/2024

US News Most Americans Believe US Will Be in World War Within Next Decade The Institute  Russia Fearing Spike in Oil Prices, US Tells Ukraine To Halt Attacks on Russian Energy AWC Death Toll in Moscow Terrorist Attack Rises To 137 AWC Kremlin Says Russia Is in a...

read more
News Roundup 3/28/2024

News Roundup 3/22/2024

US News Idaho House Committee Votes Down ‘Defend the Guard’ Legislation AWC Report: Justice Department Considering Plea Deal for Assange AWC Haiti Pentagon Still Open to US Troops in Haiti The Institute  Ukraine Germany Won’t Accept Putin-Dictated Peace Deal in...

read more
News Roundup 3/28/2024

News Roundup 3/20/2024

US News Major Studies Find No Evidence of Brain Injury in Alleged ‘Havana Syndrome’ Patients The Institute  Ukraine  Macron Says Western Ground Operations in Ukraine May Be Necessary at ‘Some Point’ AWC Austin Doubles Down on Military Aid for Israel and Ukraine The...

read more