{
  "id": 3405535,
  "title": "One million children in Afghanistan risk dying from 'severe malnutrition', says UN",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/one-million-children-in-afghanistan-risk-dying-from-severe",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-26T02:18:28.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail-malaymail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/world/2026/08/26/one-million-children-in-afghanistan-risk-dying-from-severe-malnutrition-says-un/232654"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Geneva, Aug 26 - The United Nations has warned that one million children in Afghanistan are at risk of dying from severe malnutrition, according to a report by UNICEF. Over 3.7 million children in the country are currently suffering from wasting, which is the most acute form of malnutrition. UNICEF's representative in Afghanistan, Tajudeen Oyewale, stated that if no action is taken quickly, these one million children face a death sentence. The crisis has worsened due to a lack of treatment and the ongoing challenges faced by the country, including civil war and economic collapse following the Taliban's return to power in 2021.\n\nOyewale emphasized that malnutrition plays a central role in the growing number of child deaths. Nearly 40% of children admitted to hospitals with severe wasting and medical complications are under six months old, while children under two years old account for more than 80% of severe acute malnutrition cases. He described a worsening nutrition crisis, with over half a million children admitted to hospitals for high-risk wasting so far this year, a third more than in the same period last year.\n\nIn parts of southern Afghanistan, hospitals are facing a severe shortage of beds, with some seeing three or four severely malnourished children per available bed. Families are cutting back on nutritious food, leading children to subsist on minimal diets such as bread with tea or watered-down yoghurt. Oyewale explained that this inadequate nutrition can trap children in a vicious cycle where poor nourishment leads to severe diarrhea or respiratory infections, further exacerbating malnutrition.\n\nThe situation is compounded by Afghanistan's other issues, such as successive years of drought, flash floods, regional instability, and cross-border trade disruptions. The return of six million Afghans to the country since 2023, most of them children, has added to the pressure on already stretched resources. While malnutrition treatment can save lives, survivors frequently relapse if they return to the same conditions. UNICEF's nutrition program in Afghanistan has a budget of US$180 million for the year, but only 22% of the funding has been secured. Oyewale stressed that immediate action is needed to prevent children from reaching a critical state before seeking treatment.",
  "summary": "GENEVA, Aug 26 — One million children in Afghanistan are suffering from life-threatening malnutrition in a worseni...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}