Ten-month-old Bilal lies in bed at Mazar-i-Sharif regional hospital, in Afghanistan’s Balkh province, where he is being treated for measles and pneumonia, watched over by his mother Zakia.

When Bilal fell ill with a fever, Zakia took him to one privately run clinic after another, but his condition got worse. “In the beginning, he had a severe fever, and despite taking him to two private medical facilities, they could not pinpoint what exactly was making him sick,” says Zakia. “At first they suspected he had pneumonia and gave him some medication, but he did not show any improvement.”

When Zakia travelled to Mazar-i-Sharif Regional Hospital in the provincial capital, Bilal was diagnosed with measles. He was first admitted to the measles isolation unit supported by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and later to the intensive care unit, where his condition deteriorated further. Three days later, he is showing signs of improvement. “Today, he slept well for the first time since falling ill,” says Zakia.