KABUL, Afghanistan — More than 5,300 children in Afghanistan are currently living with thalassemia, a life-threatening inherited blood disorder, the Taliban’s deputy minister of public health said Thursday at a public health event in Kabul.
Speaking at a session marking World Thalassemia Day, Deputy Minister Abdul Wali Haqqani said the government has taken steps to support patients, including the establishment of diagnostic centers in several provinces. He did not provide further details about the scope or location of these centers.
Haqqani emphasized that thalassemia patients are a priority for the Ministry of Public Health, adding that the ministry is offering free diagnosis, treatment, medication and blood donations to children affected by the condition.
He also urged the public to participate in blood donation campaigns to help support thalassemia patients, who require frequent transfusions to manage the disease.
The Taliban official called on relevant aid agencies, including ICRC, to support efforts for helping thalassemia patients.
Thalassemia is a genetic disorder that affects the body’s ability to produce hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. Children born with severe forms of the disease often require lifelong blood transfusions and specialized care. Without proper treatment, thalassemia can lead to serious complications, including organ damage and early death. The condition is more prevalent in parts of South Asia, the Middle East and the Mediterranean.
Accurate data on the prevalence of thalassemia in Afghanistan is limited; however, available studies provide some estimates.
According to figures published on ResearchGate, approximately 1 to 1.5 million people in Afghanistan are believed to be carriers of the beta-thalassemia gene, based on a 3.8 percent prevalence rate observed in a study of 369 outpatients.
Among pregnant women, the carrier rate for alpha-thalassemia is estimated at 14.4 percent, while beta-thalassemia carriers account for about 3 percent.
A February 2025 report published in the Journal of Hematology and Allied Sciences found that more than 1,500 children in Nangarhar Province alone were living with thalassemia.
Meanwhile, a January 2024 study by the Afghanistan Journal of Basic Medical Sciences found that 17.6 percent of anemic children examined at a Kabul hospital had beta-thalassemia, with two-thirds of those cases classified as thalassemia major — the most severe form of the disease.
