22 Jan. (EUROPA PRESS) –
More than 40,000 children under the age of five have been hospitalized in recent weeks in Afghanistan, ravaged by a cold wave that has already left nearly 90 dead across the country.
The balance of the Ministry of Health, collected by the Afghan news agency Pajhwok, includes a total of 88 deaths and some 10,000 children under the age of five hospitalized each week in Afghan hospitals, the majority due to respiratory problems.
There is also evidence of at least six deaths and 120 affected by gas leaks in home heaters in homes in the country, according to the Ministry spokesman, Sharafat Zaman, added.
The Ministry of Disaster Management has reported that food aid has been distributed to at least 5,000 families affected by the sudden drop in temperatures, which has brought heavy snowfall and blocked roads in several states in central and northern Afghanistan.
In fact, in recent days, the Afghan capital, Kabul, has experienced interruptions in the water and electricity supply system. The Afghan Chamber of Industries and Mines has warned that customer services are not active even for an hour.
The new cold snap has blocked access points to the most remote areas of Afghanistan, where medicine and food are already in short supply. Winter crops have been severely damaged, especially vegetables, thus further aggravating the food crisis.
