Six-months-old boy Zabiullah, who is suffering from pneumonia, breathes oxygen through a mask placed in position by his mother in a children's Acute R
Six-months-old boy Zabiullah, who is suffering from pneumonia, breathes oxygen through a mask placed in position by his mother in a children's Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI) department in a government run hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, January 29, 2020. Doctor Farid Ahmad Andishmond, a pediatrician at the hospital, believes that the spike of cases of pneumonia and other lung infections among children is directly linked to the increase of pollution in the capital– and other cities in Afghanistan. “Many families in the city cannot afford electricity. Instead, they are left with no other choice but to burn whatever they can find to keep their homes warm”, he explains while doing the rounds through the room, between the beds of sick children. “People burn plastic, rubber from the tires of vehicles and cheap, unrefined coal. Whatever they can find and afford. These substances create toxic fumes that are harmful to the human body, especially in small children”. Pollution in Afghanistan in recent years reportedly killed more people than the current civil war in the country. The research group State of Global Air, that offers analysis on levels and trends in air quality and health for countries around the world, offers a bleak picture. The group said that more than 26,000 deaths in 2017 in Afghanistan can be attributed to pollution. In contrast, according to the United Nations, 3,483 civilians have been killed the same year by the ongoing war in the country. © UNICEF/Afghanistan/Modola20
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Photo credit: © Siegfried Modola / Alamy / Afripics
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