Afghanistan Records Millions of Respiratory Illness Cases in Government Hospitals Amid Ongoing COVID-19 Infections
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health under Taliban administration has reported that nearly five million people have visited government hospitals across the country over the past three months due to respiratory illnesses. Simultaneously, 504 cases of COVID-19 have also been recorded during this period.
Dr. Sharafat Zaman, spokesperson for the ministry, stated that the number of patients seeking treatment for respiratory diseases has increased compared to the same period last year, though he did not specify last year’s exact figures. According to him, approximately 3.1 million of these patients were over the age of five, with a significant portion being elderly individuals, while about 1.9 million were children under five years old.
Based on the data provided, the recorded COVID-19 cases include 210 patients in November, 141 in December last year, and 153 in January 2026. The Ministry of Public Health emphasized that no COVID-19 related deaths have been reported in government hospitals during this time.
Meanwhile, Dr. Faridullah Amri, a specialist in infectious diseases and head of the National Infectious Diseases Hospital, described the severity of COVID-19 as low, noting that most patients present symptoms such as runny nose, cough, sore throat, and fever, and often recover after treatment.
The specialist advised residents to use masks to prevent the spread of viruses, regularly wash hands with soap and water, and for those infected with COVID-19 to limit contact with others.
The coronavirus was first identified in 2019 in Wuhan, China, before spreading to other countries. According to global reports, hundreds of millions worldwide have been infected with the virus, and over six million have died.
Previously, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health announced in April 2023 that the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country had surpassed 210,000, with nearly 8,000 fatalities attributed to the disease.
