Afghanistan: Number of children born with deformities increasing

Afghanistan: Number of children born with deformities increasing
by Zarghona Salehi  
 
March 29, 2011

KABUL (PAN):  The number of children born in Afghanistan with misshapen limbs 
and  other deformities is increasing, doctors say, with several blaming  
intermarriage, drug use and chemicals contained in coalition weapons. 


There are no exact statistics of the number of children born with  disabilities, 
but anecdotal evidence from hospitals in Kabul and the  provinces suggests it is 
increasing.

Dr. Trina Yadgari, an obstetrician at Istiqlal Hospital in Kabul, said  that in 
2008, 16 out of 3,700 children born at the hospital had some  sort of birth 
defect, while in 2009 there were 4,000 births and 34 birth  defects.

She said most of the deformities happen in insecure provinces, blaming suicide 
attacks, mine blasts and bombardments.

Constant attacks can traumatise a woman which could cause her to give  birth to 
a child with deformities, but also, chemical substances used in  weapons can be 
poisonous and, if inhaled by pregnant women, can cause  defects in the womb.

Other factors causing birth abnormalities include violence, marriage  between 
family members, anaemia, malnutrition and drug and cigarette  use.

She advised pregnant women to consult with a health specialist, eat a  varied 
and healthy diet and avoid taking un-prescribed medication.

Dr. Maroof Sami, an obstetrician at the Malalai Maternity Hospital in  Kabul, 
said out of 20,000 children born at the hospital in 2008, 216 had  some 
disability, while in 2009, there were 22,000 births and 280 had  birth defects.

He said there had not been enough research into the influence of  chemicals in 
weapons to know if that was the main cause of  abnormalities.

However, he cited violence against women during pregnancy, un-prescribed  
medication, stress, smoking and drugs as causes of birth defects.

Statistics from the provinces also show that the number of babies born with 
defects has increased.

Mohammad Daoud Farhad, head doctor at Mirwais Hospital in the southern  province 
of Kandahar, said most deformities happened in remote areas. He  said that in 
2008, nine babies were born with deformities, while in  2009, there were 12.

He mentioned intermarriage, poor nutrition and drug taking as  contributory 
factors, but said that the main cause in Kandahar was the  chemicals used in 
explosives.

Dr. Enayatullah Ghafari, head of the public health department in  neighbouring 
Helmand province, said there were some cases of babies  being born disabled, or 
with misshaped limbs, but that the number was  far fewer than in other 
provinces.

Insecurity, explosions, airstrikes, narcotics and un-prescribed medicine were 
all contributory factors, he said.

Prof. Abdul Salaam Jalali, a health specialist, called for an  investigation 
into whether ammunition used by the international  coalition contained uranium 
or white phosphorus, both of which have been  proven to causes deformities to a 
fetus in the womb.

He pointed to recent reports in which babies born with birth defects in  Iraq 
were linked to weapons used by the US which contained uranium.

"It is said that US forces also used ammunition which contained uranium in Tora 
Bora," he said.

In eastern Nangarhar province, Dr. Ajmal Pardis, head of the provincial  public 
health department, also called for an investigation into the  cause of 
deformities, so that they could alert parents.

Sheila, 45, a resident of Kabul, has a daughter whose legs were deformed at 
birth.

"I have one daughter who is disabled. I have taken her to doctors for  treatment 
and spent a lot of money, but it has had no effect."

Sheila said she did not know why she had given birth to a disabled  child, nor 
did any of the doctors she saw know. She said the Ministry of  Public Health 
should do some research and then let everyone know how to  prevent birth 
defects.

Mohammad Aslam, 42, has a 5-year-old son who suffers from a cleft palate and a 
3-year-old daughter who has a hole in her heart.

"I went to many government and nongovernment hospitals but none were  effective, 
we still wonder why our children were born like this."

He said he had spent about $3,000 on treatment for his children.

"My wife and I have decided not to have any more children because we  can’t see 
them suffer like this. We also can’t afford to pay for their  treatment."

Dr. Sadia Ayoubi, head of the maternity department at the public health  
ministry, said it was impossible to say if the number of children born  with 
abnormalities had increased or not as there were no official  statistics.

"When we have statistics from the hospitals, we can carry out research into why 
it happens," she said.