Two young men have died of dengue fever in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province. According to sources, one died on Saturday, October 31, and the other on Sunday, November 1. One was from the provincial capital Jalalabad and the other from Momand Dara district.
Local sources said both had been treated for several weeks in the infectious diseases ward of a local hospital but did not recover. The deaths have alarmed residents, who say dengue cases are rising and that not enough has been done to contain the outbreak or ensure proper treatment.
Mawlawi Aminullah Sharif, the Taliban-appointed public health director in Nangarhar, said mosquito nets were being distributed in Jalalabad and the districts, and that mobile health teams and medical supplies had been sent to several districts.
Dengue is a viral disease spread by infected Aedes mosquitoes. According to the World Health Organization, symptoms include high fever, headache and body aches, and severe cases can be fatal. Nangarhar records significant numbers of dengue deaths every year, and since 2021 reduced international aid, economic hardship and the return of millions of people from neighbouring countries have put added strain on Afghanistan's health system.