Non-communicable diseases in Afghanistan: a silent tsunami

The Lancet
Jun 18, 2023

Non-communicable diseases in Afghanistan: a silent tsunami


Afghanistan is experiencing an untypical humanitarian crisis resulting from a chronic 40-year conflict and political upheavals. This crisis has led to a rapid economic collapse, inflation, drastic rises in poverty, hunger, and risk of malnutrition.

 Afghanistan is suffering from the double burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases. Outbreaks of many communicable diseases such as acute watery diarrhoea, measles, dengue fever, pertussis, and Crimean–Congo haemorrhagic fever in addition to COVID-19 have worsened the situation. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for almost 50% of mortality in the country with a transition towards a heavier burden by 2030. If these diseases are not addressed by context-based interventions, they will cause more than 70% of years lived with disability in a country with a population of 48 million by 2030 and more than 60% of mortality mainly among women by 2030.