Herat
Coronavirus rapidly spreads around Herat due to poor precautions
Over 120 government employees have been exposed to the Coronavirus due to poor precautions in service offices in Herat. The infected employees are currently in-home quarantine.
They are fine, say public health officials. A research conducted by Ariana in Herat shows that the recklessness of government employees and visitors has led to the transmission of the virus.
The findings of the study show that 4 employees of the Department of Transportation, 3 employees of the Water Supply Department, 4 employees of the Municipality, 3 employees of the Tax Department, 5 employees of the Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat, 75 employees of the Public Health Department, 10 policemen, 4 employees of the Herat Ambulance, 3 provincial employees, including the head of Human Resources, 11 imams, and 8 employees of the Herat Customs Department, have been exposed to the virus.
Head of Herat's Public Health Department Dr. Abdul Hakim Tamana, says the communicatory virus has hiked due to the irresponsible conduct of government employees and the citizens. “If this doesn’t change, it could exacerbate the Coronavirus disaster in the near future,” he added.
At the same time, a number of government officials in Herat underline that there are no sufficient health gears in the office to fight the virus.
Sharif Ahmad, a government employee, says they are given a number a mask and pair of gloves for a whole week, even though they deal with a large number of visitors every day.
“Although three of our employees have been infected by the virus, no action has been taken to disinfect the premises,” he said.
At the same time, Engineer Ratib Hamim, head of water supply authority, confirms that one of his employees has been infected with the virus.
Hamim says they are a service provider, and they have continued to work for the past two months despite the quarantine. “People who come to the office do not have masks and do not follow safety measures,” he says.
Ghulam Hazrat Mushfeq, the mayor of Herat, also confirms the transmission of the COVID19 in service administrations, adding that the process of disinfecting public places and some government offices is being carried out on daily basis.
Recently, in a press conference, the governor of Herat ordered the entire service to pay extra attention to healthcare guidelines and wear masks at all times.
Meanwhile, Dr. Ibrahim Mohammadi, head of Herat Ambulances, emphasizes that the number of people living with the coronavirus in Herat is still the rise.
“Most people are scared of being hospitalized at COVID19 wards – hiding that they have been contracted and/or going into home quarantine,” Mohammadi said.
He also confirms that over 120 employees of various government administrations across the city have been infected with the deadly Coronavirus.
It is noteworthy that Herat is the epicenter of the COVID19 in Afghanistan and was the first province exposed to the virus in late February 2020.
Health
Herat records 36 Congo Fever cases in past two months
Doctors in Herat province say that they have registered 36 cases of Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever in the last two months, with five fatalities.
Mohammad Asif Kabir, Deputy Public Health of Herat, says the number of cases increased this year and that authorities were particularly concerned about the spread of the disease, especially over Eid-ul-Adha.
Doctors in the infectious disease unit of the Herat provincial hospital have advised people to take the necessary precautions when slaughtering livestock.
Congo Fever is a viral haemorrhagic fever usually transmitted by ticks. It can also be contracted through contact with contaminated animal tissues during and immediately after slaughtering of animals.
The US Center for Disease Control recommends people wear gloves and other protective clothing when slaughtering animals. Individuals should also avoid contact with the blood and body fluids of livestock or humans who show symptoms of infection. It is also important for healthcare workers to use proper infection control precautions to prevent occupational exposure.
Herat
300 street children in Herat included in vocational programs during this year: officials
The Department of Labor and Social Affairs in Herat says it rounds up more than 2,000 street children every year and includes them in technical and vocational training programs.
According to the department officials, about 300 of these children were included into technical and vocational programs in the first few months of this year.
“During this year, we surveyed about 500 street children, 300 of them were included in technical and vocational programs,” said Abdullah Suri, deputy head of the Labor and Social Affairs Department in Herat.
Meanwhile, a charity foundation named "Atefi" in Herat province has recently provided the opportunity of technical and vocational training programs to 100 orphans and poor children who will be taught tailoring skills, how to repair phones and other professions in the next six months.
The foundation’s authorities say their goal is to create job opportunities for orphaned children.
During this year, 200 of these children have been covered by technical and vocational programs, the foundation's officials said.
“One hundred orphaned and needy young children from different areas of Herat city were surveyed and today, Inshallah, their educational workshop, which includes sewing, phone repairing and embroidering bags, will be inaugurated by the elders of Islamic Emirate,” said Abdul Zahir Irshad, the foundation’s head.
Experts however believe that in the current situation there is a need to provide more educational opportunities for these children and the government is obliged to take care of these children along with their families with the cooperation of the helping institutions.
Business
Over 3,600 boxes of silkworms distributed to Herat farmers this year
Herat Directorate of Agriculture and Livestock says more than 3,500 boxes of silkworms have been distributed to farmers this year in Zinda Jan, Injil, Guzara and Pashtun Zarghun districts of the province.
This directorate has said that 80 percent of silk work is done in Zinda Jan district.
“We were able to grow about 3,600 boxes with the help of institutions, about 80 percent of which we have grown in Zinda Jan district,” said Khalil Ahmad, general director of Herat agriculture directorate.
“About 20 percent of silkworms have been grown in Injil, Guzara and Pashtun Zarghun districts, which has had good results and the financial status of the farmers has improved.”
The local officials said most work in the silk industry is done by women.
“Almost 60 percent of the silk industry is done by women,” said Ahmad Shah Qawami, head of the silk workers’ union for Zinda Jan district.
This year, the families who are engaged in raising silkworms hope to have good production, now that the silk season is over and many are working to separate the silk thread.
However, the farmers are not satisfied with this year's market conditions.
“The silk market is weak this year, it was good last year, it was very advanced,” said a silk worker.
The silk industry in Herat has a history dating back 600 years, and many families have preserved this ancient profession.
Silkworms usually feed on the leaves of mulberry trees, which grow in these regions. The industry also provides a livelihood to hundreds of men and women in the area.
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