Lone Kabul laboratory preparing to treat patients in the midst of political turmoil and tentative peace talks, as border with Iran closed

This article is more than 6 months old

This article is more than 6 months old

Preparations for an outbreak of coronavirus were underway in Afghanistan as the country confirmed its first case in the western province of Herat, which borders Iran.

Seven more suspected cases have been identified in Herat, and three cases in the nearby provinces of Farah and Ghor.

The affected Herat residents had recently returned from Qom in Iran, where the coronavirus outbreak has already killed at least 16 people and infected dozens of others, according to Iranian officials.

Quick guide What are coronavirus symptoms and should I go to a doctor? Show Hide What is Covid-19? Covid-19 is caused by a member of the coronavirus family that has never been encountered before. Like other coronaviruses, it has come from animals. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared it a pandemic. What are the symptoms this coronavirus causes? According to the WHO, the most common symptoms of Covid-19 are fever, tiredness and a dry cough. Some patients may also have a runny nose, sore throat, nasal congestion and aches and pains or diarrhoea. Some people report losing their sense of taste and/or smell. About 80% of people who get Covid-19 experience a mild case – about as serious as a regular cold – and recover without needing any special treatment. About one in six people, the WHO says, become seriously ill. The elderly and people with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes, or chronic respiratory conditions, are at a greater risk of serious illness from Covid-19. In the UK, the National health Service (NHS) has identified the specific symptoms to look for as experiencing either: a high temperature - you feel hot to touch on your chest or back

a new continuous cough - this means you’ve started coughing repeatedly As this is viral pneumonia, antibiotics are of no use. The antiviral drugs we have against flu will not work, and there is currently no vaccine. Recovery depends on the strength of the immune system. Should I go to the doctor if I have a cough? Medical advice varies around the world - with many countries imposing travel bans and lockdowns to try and prevent the spread of the virus. In many place people are being told to stay at home rather than visit a doctor of hospital in person. Check with your local authorities. In the UK, NHS advice is that anyone with symptoms should stay at home for at least 7 days. If you live with other people, they should stay at home for at least 14 days, to avoid spreading the infection outside the home.

Afghanistan’s national security council announced on Monday that all air travel to and from Iran had been suspended and borders had been closed.

However, an estimated 3,000 people cross between Iran and Afghanistan illegally every day.

Coronavirus fears grip Middle East as Iran denies cover-up Read more

Oral swabs have been sent from Herat to Kabul’s central public health laboratory for testing. The laboratory in Kabul is the only one in the country of 35 million people able to test for the virus. It has just three machines.

Alimi Sahib, a project manager at the lab, said more testing equipment was needed. “We need to decentralise to regional level, especially since test results take between four to six hours.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Staff at Afghan-Japan Communicable Disease Hospital in Kabul are gearing up for potential cases. Photograph: Stefanie Glinski

“If there are more cases in the provinces in the future, we cannot continue to send all of them to Kabul,” he said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) in Afghanistan said work to prepare for an outbreak had been underway since January, but the country needed at least $3.5m (£2.7m) to implement the measures needed.

“More than 700 surveillance-reporting health facilities have already been allocated in the provinces, but more funding is needed to equip isolated areas, as well as more staff, protective equipment and mechanical ventilation machines,” said Dr Elnoor Muntasir El Hassan from WHO.

The Afghan-Japan Communicable Disease Hospital in Kabul was gearing up to treat the virus in the city, where so far no cases have been reported. Munir Shah, a nurse at the hospital, said: “I’m very scared. The situation is tense. I walk through the empty halls and I worry that they might fill up.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Dr Mohammed Khan said ‘people are afraid’, but he’s confident his hospital in Kabul is prepared to deal with the virus. Photograph: Stefanie Glinski

The hospital in the west of Kabul, which normally treats HIV and tuberculosis patients, has increased its bed count from 60 to 100, and has constructed separate male and female isolation wards.

Though it is empty and eerie, new equipment is arriving daily. Coronavirus awareness brochures and posters have been put up around the building.

“People are afraid,” said Dr Mohammed Khan, one of the hospital’s heads, but he added he felt confident. “We are ready to take on patients. We’ve dealt with other highly contagious viruses in the past, and we will be able to handle this one too – if it comes to Kabul.”

But amid political turmoil, the threat of a wider coronavirus outbreak has added to an already tense environment throughout Afghanistan.

Last week’s election results, in which President Ashraf Ghani was reelected for another five-year term, have been disputed by his main rival Abdullah Abdullah, who also declared himself the winner and said he would form a separate government.

The country is in the midst of a seven-day violence reduction period, preceded by the signing of a peace deal between the US and the Taliban, that could end America’s longest war in history and lead to its troops leaving the country.

“Everything is happening at once,” Khan said, standing outside the clinic on the outskirts of the city. “I hope we can at least fend off the coronavirus.”