Acute malnutrition is projected to worsen significantly in Afghanistan, with levels already at their highest ever recorded for the current analysis period (August–October 2026), which marks the seasonal peak of acute malnutrition in the country. 

Between January and December 2027, an estimated 4.04 million children aged 6–59 months will require treatment for acute malnutrition. Severe acute malnutrition  is expected to affect nearly 1.1 million children, while moderate acute malnutrition will impact around 2.95 million. Needs among pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW) are also projected to rise, with approximately 1.27 million expected to require treatment in 2027. 

Acute malnutrition in Afghanistan is driven by poor child diets and widespread food insecurity; high childhood morbidity; poor water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) conditions that increase exposure to illness; and significant malnutrition among pregnant and breastfeeding women and adolescent girls.  

Protect and adapt nutrition treatment services: Maintain access to quality nutrition treatment services for children with acute malnutrition by safeguarding treatment capacity in IPC AMN Phase 3 and 4 areas. Explore and expand alternative delivery platforms, community-based approaches and cost-efficient, effective approaches, such as simplified treatment protocols to mitigate anticipated drop in humanitarian funding while ensuring timely detection and treatment of cases. 

Strengthen prevention of acute malnutrition: Scale up integrated prevention interventions for children under five and PBW, with a particular focus on improving the diets of children aged 6–23 months. Promote access to affordable, nutritious and safe foods through coordinated food security, social protection, WASH, health and agriculture interventions. In high-risk areas, consider community-level approaches to improving child diets, including food- and supplement-based interventions for children aged 6–23 months. 

Sustain nutrition surveillance and early warning systems and actions: Sustain robust nutrition surveillance and early warning systems to monitor trends, detect deterioration early and guide timely anticipatory action. The situation should be monitored with particular attention in Zabul province, where recently collected data indicate worsening conditions, as well as in other hotspots with highest GAM prevalence. Use seasonal patterns to inform preparedness, target high-risk areas and scale up interventions ahead of peak malnutrition periods. 

Prevent high disease burden among children and scale up WASH measures in priority areas: Enhance disease surveillance, immunisation coverage and WASH conditions to prevent outbreaks. Prioritise high-risk, overcrowded and high returnee communities, with preventive measures intensified ahead of and during the seasonal AWD peak, particularly in areas where AWD outbreaks coincide with seasonal increases in acute malnutrition.