KABUL (SW) – Out of three suspected cases of coronavirus, the health officials confirmed the maiden positive case of it on Monday.
Ferozuddin Feroz, health minister, told a presser in Kabul that emergency has been declared in Herat province bordering Iran. He said the victim is in stable condition, and held in isolation. “We strongly suggest all Afghans to avoid unnecessary travel to Iran, physical contacts or congregations”, he said.
A day earlier, Dr. Nazir Ahmad Dehgan, head of the disease control committee at the Herat health department, said that the three suspects recently returned from Iran. According to officials from the Herat department of Health, 36 other people, who just returned from Qom, Iran, are being held in quarantine.
The Afghan embassy in Tehran also issued a statement saying it would suspend the provision of consular services until the situation improved.
Health officials in Herat province say the health minister has instructed officials at the air ports and border areas to take measures to prevent the virus from spreading.
The Minister of Public Health sought urgent help from the World Health Organization to combat the outbreak.
ENDS
