As H1N1 flu spreads, Afghanistan closes schools, fights rumors

The virus has killed 10 people in the capital in two weeks, and reports of new cases increase each day.

By JAY PRICE, McClatchy News Service

Last update: November 8, 2009 - 8:46 PM

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN - The Afghan government has declared a state of emergency, closing schools, universities, wedding halls and even public bathrooms for three weeks to slow the spread of the H1N1 flu virus, which has killed 10 people in the capital in less than two weeks.

Cases are popping up in provinces spanning the country, with new outbreaks reported in two more provinces on Saturday.

"There is no doubt that we have an epidemic in our country now, and we are moving into the fall season when the conditions make it more likely to spread," said Ahmad Farid Raaid, spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health.

In the past few days, surgical face masks have bloomed like poppies on the faces of worried pedestrians along crowded streets and markets of the capital as more cases are reported.

The effectiveness of such masks in preventing the spread of flu is uncertain, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but they are selling quickly in Kabul. Many vendors are boys who would be in school except for the emergency closing.

"I would prefer to be in class, but I can sell these for 10 afghanis [about 20 cents]," said Hafzuillah, 12.

In the past few days, the government has ramped up its response to the epidemic, Raaid said. Most of the 456 cases among Afghans -- and all the fatalities -- have occurred in Kabul. On Friday, his ministry distributed anti-viral medicine and 10 tons of related medical supplies to 34 hospitals and clinics in the capital.

There is no H1N1 vaccine on hand, but the government expects to receive 550,000 doses soon through the World Health Organization.

Since August, the health ministry has been running a public awareness campaign aimed at stopping the spread of the disease, Raaid said, but last week, it ratcheted up the effort, signing contracts with several TV and radio stations for about $200,000 in additional ads.

Even as the health ministry spreads information about prevention and treatment, though, it's having to fighting rumors that undercut the effort.

A common one is that the government is exaggerating the danger to discourage gatherings to protest the outcome of the presidential election, which left incumbent Hamid Karzai in place despite massive election fraud in his favor. Another rumor involves foreign troops. The first reported cases in Afghanistan were among U.S. soldiers and other foreigners working on military bases. Muslims are forbidden to eat pork, and so some Afghans have begun saying clearly the swine flu is passing from pigs to the foreigners then to Afghans.

"They say that we should throw out all the foreigners," Raaid said. "As you can imagine, this is a delicate matter for us."

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