Nov 04, 2009 (BBC Monitoring via COMTEX) -- The spread of swine flu to
different parts of Afghanistan has heightened concerns among many Afghans. They
fear that they, too, may contract this disease someday. After the spread of
swine flu in country, the government announced that the government and private
education institutions should be closed for three weeks to control this disease.
Senior officials of the Public Health Ministry say up to 310 people have
contracted swine flu across the country. Senior officials stress that if this
disease is not coped with, up to 70,000 people may contract it across the
country. At the same time the Commission for State of Emergency has also banned
sports competitions and gatherings besides education institutes.
The commission has also shut tuition centres and kindergartens for three weeks.
It has advised people not to hug or kiss each other on cheeks. The commission
has also issued special instructions on prayers in mosques and has said that the
Friday prayers should be performed in open air or those performing prayers
should use masks. These bans were imposed after the Public Health Ministry asked
the Commission for State of Emergency to shut all schools and universities for
three weeks. Public Health Minister Sayd Mohammad Amin Fatemi has said that the
WHO has to hand over 1m vaccines for this disease to the Health Ministry.
He has said that Health Ministry is ready to treat 51,000 patients. At the same
time Mr Farid Rayed, spokesman for the Health Ministry, has told Kabul Weekly in
an exclusive interview that the disease has killed only one Afghan so far. He
says: "That person referred to a doctor when his disease had become severe and
it was impossible to treat him." He also said that six of his friends, who also
contracted swine flu, were being treated. He added that 271 out of 310 of those,
who have contracted swine flu, are foreigners and the remaining 39 others are
Afghans. Senior officials say they have appointed 2,000 health workers to
control this disease across the country and may further increase their number if
needed.
Mr Rayed says they will launch some programmes to create public awareness about
this disease and will control the spread of swine flu from airports. Regarding
the symptoms of this disease, he said: "The symptoms of H1N1 first appear in
throat. The victim has flu, a headache and a temperature over 38 degrees
centigrade." Mr Rayed said that when the disease worsens, the victims suffer
from severe fever and shortness of breath. Regarding the prevention of the
spread of this disease, he said that all compatriots must wash their hands with
soap everyday, drink a lot of fluids, avoid crowded places, gargle salty water
three times a day and use a mask. This official says most cases of swine flu
have been detected in international forces.
They have been treated on time. This comes at a time when a number of Kabul
residents are concerned about the spread of this disease in the country and
blame the Health Ministry's officials for its spread. Mr Sayd Mobin, who is 25
and a resident of Kart-e Parwan area, says the government paid attention to this
disease when a Kabul resident lost his life because of it. He says this disease
has spread to some provinces now. He says: "The Afghan government should have
already made efforts to control this disease." He says if Health Ministry
officials fail to take serious steps to prevent this disease, many Afghans will
contract it.
It is not only Mr Mobin, who blames the government for the spread of this
disease, but hundreds of residents of Kabul town also. Mr Khalid, who is 22 and
is a student of Kabul University, says foreigners brought this disease to
Afghanistan and the Health Ministry should have established its control in
airports to prevent the spread of this disease in advance. This comes at a time
when the Health Ministry says it launched a publicity campaign after the
outbreak of swine flu in the world. They say they launched a public awareness
campaign on television and radio with the spread of this disease in the world to
prevent its spread in the country.
They say when someone contracts this disease, its symptoms appear on his body
four days later. The spokesman for the Health Ministry, Mr Rayed, says they have
appointed health workers in airports and borders to identify the victims.
However, some of these victims enter Afghanistan as the symptoms of swine flu do
not appear on their bodies in the first four days. Swine flu has killed 5,712
people in different countries of the world and nearly 441,661 people have
contracted it. The initial cases of swine flu were detected in Mexico and the
UN.
Source: Kabul Weekly in Pashto 4 Nov 09
BBC Mon SA1 SAsPol sgm
BBC Monitoring. Copyright BBC.
KEYWORD: AFGHANISTAN
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: DOMESTIC
POLITICAL
HEALTH
