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Afghan students will be evacuated from Wuhan – the source of the outbreak of a novel coronavirus
AT News
KABUL: Afghanistan is confident that China will be able to overcome the enormous challenge of coronavirus, and do all efforts to contain its outbreak.
“Afghan government acknowledges the momentous efforts undertaken by China to contain the outbreak of Corona Virus as well as its measures to prevent endemic further spread, extending its immense gratitude to the medics, health professionals and frontline responders who painstakingly continue to provide treatment to the infected, save lives and bring the contagion under control,” Presidential Spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said in a tweet.
Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has said that 41 Afghan students would be airlifted out of Wuhan, which has been the main source of coronavirus outbreak.
Ferozuding Feroz, Minister of Public Health in a news briefing spoke about preparations to evacuate the Afghan students, but highlighted some technical questions that have to be addressed.
Mr. Feroz had assured of evacuation of the 41 students, but at the spur of the moment he doesn’t want to jeopardize the life of 30 million populations. “It requires a logical decision rather than urgent.”
Some family members of the students are also living with them in Wuhan, he said, adding, “We adopted preparation to quarantine the students along with their families for two weeks as well as check them sequentially after evacuation to Kabul.”
According to him, the Afghan ambassador to China and Chinese Ambassador to Kabul have conveyed the good news of their healthy and their families in Wuhan. “So far they are not affected.”
Mr. Feroz said that fortunately there is now cases of coronavirus in Afghanistan and the ministry wlould exert utmost efforts to prevent its outbreak.
“Ministry has started screening programs and checking the passengers returning from China through airports and borders to Afghanistan.”
So far 262 passengers had returned from China and currently under watch of the ministry and already being quarantined in their homes, he added.
According to World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations those who returned from Wuhan must be quarantined for two weeks (14 days) and till now only one person has returned from Wuhan in 5th January (25 days ago), who is currently in Kandahar.
The ministry is in contact with him and based on our reports, he and his family members are in good health, the minster added.
Representative of the WHO, Dawod Altaf told newsmen that the world health organization is stand ready to cooperate with the needy countries and also asking other countries to help the vulnerable ones. He said that WHO will help Afghanistan in sending the specimen of the coronavirus to abroad if required.
He also asked the media outlets to avoid publishing fake news and rumors over virus in a bid to prevent negative effects on the society and economic of the countries in the world.
A man in the Philippines has died from the Wuhan coronavirus — the first time a death has been reported outside mainland China since the outbreak began in December.
Philippines health officials announced Sunday that a 44-year-old Chinese man had died the day before from coronavirus after flying into the country from Wuhan, the Chinese city of 11 million at the center of the outbreak.
There are more than 14,300 confirmed cases around the world, and 305 people have died. All but one of the deaths has been in mainland China.
