KABUL — The Taliban Ministry of Public Health on Sunday dismissed a report by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) that warned of a sharp rise in measles cases across the country, calling the findings “not based on real statistics.”
In its latest report, the medical humanitarian organization said that in the first eight weeks of 2025 alone, 4,799 suspected measles cases had been identified in the country.
The group also voiced concern over the Taliban’s restrictions on female healthcare workers, warning that such policies have exacerbated Afghanistan’s healthcare crisis. According to the report, one child dies from measles every day in the three hospitals supported by Médecins Sans Frontières.
“This is nearly three times the number of measles-related deaths recorded during the same period last year,” the organization stated.
The Taliban’s health ministry urged MSF to coordinate its reports with Afghan health officials and ensure they are based on “factual data.”
The ministry also announced plans to launch a nationwide measles vaccination campaign this year, aiming to immunize 16 million children.
Michael Loupay, the group’s representative in Afghanistan, emphasized that measles-related deaths are preventable.
“Measles can be a deadly disease, particularly for children with underlying conditions such as malnutrition or congenital heart defects,” Loupay said.
While measles is preventable through vaccination, he added, immunization coverage in Afghanistan remains critically low.
The organization’s report detailed that in the hospitals it supports, 25 percent of suspected cases required hospitalization, while the remaining 75 percent were treated as outpatients.
As Afghanistan grapples with an already fragile healthcare system, the dispute highlights broader concerns about access to medical care and the impact of the Taliban’s policies on public health.
