1.1 million Afghan children under 5 could face severe malnutrition this year, U.N. says
PBS NewsHourFeb 07, 2022
1.1M Afghan Children Under 5 Could Face Severe Malnutrition This Year
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Image copyright: AP [via The Independent]
The Facts
According to the UN, 1.1M children under the age of five will likely face severe acute malnutrition, also known as severe wasting, this year in Afghanistan.
Severe wasting is the most lethal form of malnutrition. Food is so lacking that a child's immune system is compromised, making them vulnerable to multiple bouts of disease. Eventually, they become unable to absorb nutrients and may die without intervention.
The number of children under five admitted to health facilities with severe wasting mounted from 16k in Mar. 2020 to 18k in Mar. 2021, and then leapt to 28k in Mar. 2022.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
Drought, while a contributing factor to Afghanistan's crisis, is not the driving force; sanctions are. Western nations' decisions to cut the Taliban off from international finance and development aid have enveloped the country in a crisis that's accelerating at an unprecedented pace. While Western countries have withdrawn their military presence, the war continues on a new battlefront.
Pro-establishment narrative
The Taliban's return to power and the humanitarian crisis that followed have confronted the West with a hopeless dilemma: How can they provide international assistance to a country that desperately needs it while ensuring the aid money doesn't enrich Taliban's corrupt leaders? The answer: they can't.
