Two Dead, Hundreds Infected As Mystery Illness Grips Parwan

Sources in Parwan confirmed to Afghanistan International that hundreds of people in Shinwari district of the province have been infected with an "unknown disease".

Hospital sources said on Wednesday that two weeks have passed since the outbreak of the mystery illness and two people have died so far due to it.

According to the details given to Afghanistan International by hospital sources, diarrhoea, fever, vomiting, and lethargy are among the symptoms of the disease.

Hekmat Shamim, the spokesman for the Taliban’s governor in Parwan, confirmed the outbreak of the disease and the death of two people.

The Taliban's Ministry of Public Health has not yet commented on the matter.

According to sources, about 500 residents of Dara-e-Kafshan in Shinwari district have been infected with the disease and the health condition of some of them is critical. Some of the patients have been transferred to Kabul's Antani Hospital.

Afghanistan's health system relies mainly on foreign aid, and with the return of the Taliban and the subsequent developments, it has suffered from a lack of financial and human resources.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in May expressed concern over the shortage of professional health workers in Afghanistan, saying the lack of health facilities in remote areas of Afghanistan has put many lives at risk.