A number of doctors at Abu Ali Sina Balkhi Regional Hospital report that 1,500 children in Balkh province have been infected with measles over the past three months.

Doctors at the hospital told TOLOnews that among these cases, 490 children have been treated and discharged. In addition to these inpatients, the hospital receives around 30 outpatient cases daily, who are prescribed medication and given medical advice before being discharged.

Habib Rahman Rahmani, a doctor at the hospital, stated: "Over the past three months, approximately 1,500 patients have been admitted to Abu Ali Sina Balkhi Hospital. Of these, around 480 to 490 have been treated and discharged."

Another doctor, Esmatullah Anwari, said: "The hospital staff, whether doctors or nurses, are providing services to patients with all available resources."

Khadija, a mother who brought her child from Balkh to Abu Ali Sina Balkhi Hospital in Mazar-e-Sharif, said she only realized her child had measles after five days.

She told TOLOnews: "At first, my child had a fever. I brought him here, and the fever subsided. But when I took him home, he developed a fever and cough again. When I returned to the hospital, I found out it was measles."

Meanwhile, the Balkh Public Health Department has deployed a special vaccination team to remote and hard-to-reach areas of the province to help curb the spread of the disease.

Kamal Khan Zadran, spokesperson for the Balkh Public Health Department, told TOLOnews: "This figure may be higher compared to the same period last year. However, measles is a seasonal disease, with cases peaking in the first three months of the year. The numbers may not change significantly by the end of the year."

Previously, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Afghanistan reported a rise in measles cases at three of its supported hospitals in January. According to MSF, in the first eight weeks of 2025, nearly 4,800 suspected measles cases were recorded in hospitals in Balkh, Herat, and Helmand provinces.

The organization's findings indicate that at least one child has died daily from measles in Afghanistan in 2025. This mortality rate is nearly three times higher than the same period last year.