Diarrhoea kills 9,500 Afghan children annually: Unicef

Kabul Nov 2 (IANS) Diarrhoea is killing at least 26 children daily across Afghanistan where the total number of dead reaches 9 500 each year the UN Children s Fund (Unicef) said on Thursday.

"Diarrhoea-related deaths which now total 9 500 account for around 12 per cent of the 80 000 deaths of children under the age of five that occur annually in Afghanistan " a Unicef statement read.

"Using a toilet and washing your hands is literally a matter of life or death and deaths from diarrhoea are particularly tragic because in most cases they can be easily avoided " Adele Khodr Unicef representative in Afghanistan was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

According to the finding the risks associated with diarrhoeal infections were exacerbated in Afghanistan a country where some 1.2 million children are already malnourished and 41 per cent of children are stunted.

--IANS
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