More than 50,000 positive malaria cases have been recorded in public and private health centers across the country over the past six months, with the mosquito-borne disease still posing a public health threat in Afghanistan, say health officials.

Malaria in Afghanistan

Dr. Mohammad Naeem Habib, Technical Coordinator of the National Malaria and Other Vector-Borne Diseases Control Program, said that malaria is still considered an acute parasitic disease in Afghanistan that can be transmitted by mosquitoes.

Regarding malaria cases, he said that in the first six months of the current year, 42,141 positive cases were recorded in public health centers and 9,600 cases in private health centers.

According to him, in the previous year, 257,000 positive cases of malaria were recorded in public health centers and 32,683 positive cases in private health centers in Nangarhar, Laghman, and Kunar provinces, for which free services were provided.