Afghanistan Losing Fight Against H1N1 Flu

Afghan Capital Needs a Million Doses of Vaccine to Combat Outbreak

(CBS)  Six-year-old Layeqa isn't breathing. Her heart has stopped. Her brain is badly damaged. She's the latest victim of Afghanistan's H1N1 outbreak.

"Her condition is not good," Dr. Wahiluddah Noori told CBS News correspondent Mandy Clark. "She is about to die."

Layeqa is from the heart of Kabul, the center of the H1N1 outbreak with over 450 confirmed cases. Schools and universities have been closed. Large public gatherings have been banned, and people have been advised to wear masks.

Kabul is not the healthiest environment at the best of times. There is no infrastructure for sewage or clean water: perfect conditions for a pandemic to spiral out of control.

CBSNews.com Special Report: H1N1

Afghanistan's latest enemy has also hit more than 300 foreign troops; 140 suspected cases are American. Inoculation against swine flu for U.S. troops started Tuesday.

CBSNews.com Special Report: Afghanistan

But for Afghans there is no vaccine yet. Despite a state of emergency being declared, the public health minister said Afghanistan needs 1 million doses of vaccine and that he will quit if the international community doesn't step in to help.

"That will result in my humiliation because I will not be able to save the lives of my people," Public Health Minister Dr. Mohammad Amin Fatimie told Clark.

Layeqa is one more Afghan he can't save.

She cannot breathe on her own. Her last breath will be hand-pumped by a nurse. After eight years and billions of dollars foreign aid, the hospital doesn't have enough resources to ease the pain of Layeqa and hundreds of others like her.

[wyodutch]

November 9, 2009 - Kabul "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, the spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Public Health.
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The first reported cases in Afghanistan were on U.S. soldiers and other foreigners on military bases.
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For the Afghani people... there is one logical solution.
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"The people say that we should throw out all the foreigners," Raaid said. "As you can imagine, this is a delicate matter for us."

[wyodutch]

Swine Flu was introduced into Afghanistan by infected NATO/American troops. Another gift to the Afghan people to go along with the physical destruction of their country.
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"The first reported cases of Swine Flu in Afghanistan were on U.S. soldiers and other foreigners on military bases."

[zhongwei78]

aaaaaaaaaaaxx adsfasd dddddddddddddd

[thesevenveils]

What is more sad than this flu out break in Kabul is the very fact that the US, NATO and the UN are in Afghanistan to help build a stable government they have spent no obvious effort, man power nor money to try to give this capital city something so basic as a city sewer system and a city water system. WHY?

Then again, there has been no involvement what so ever, not one oily dime sent from the mideast oil nations to help Afghanistan either. What is it with these nations that call themselves brothers and then either turn their backs on them or turn a suicide bomber on them.

[PiePlate]

A sad state of affairs for this world. There is absolutely no rational reason to explain the inhumanity being displayed worldwide. Money flows thru every pipeline, but poverty and lack of infrastructure and inability to care for these very basic human needs doesn't exist. No nation is exempt from the greedy hands diverting the money pipeline to their pockets. This is insane!

How can anyone even say the word 'civilized'? I can't even wrap my head around the insanity that has gripped this world ... there's no logic anywhere.

Are our nation's (every one of them) leaders totally brain dead? So affixed on power and privilege, jockying for a seat at the world throne of power ... for what?

Stupidity is alive and well; and blind! Uncomprehensible: We can pluck a gnat off a dog's butt (with the tail down) from outer space, but can't deliver the tools to save a life that's inches from our face!

[rf35]

Ironic that people who shun pork because of their religion are being killed by swine flu. Maybe this is a form of divine justice (if you believe in such nonsense). Anyway, I agree with some of the others here...if we can't get rid of the terrorists and their supporters with our weapons, let this disease wipe them out. No hurry on that vaccine, folks. It could take some time for it to make it to the more remote terrorist enclaves.

[hermitdave]

Now if anyone would please explain just why this is not a UN health problem in a rather backward country. I guess the United States does owe the Afghan people a big apology for the beyond STUPID way they went about trying to capture the man they claim was responsible for the 9/11/01 attack on America. One has to admit just having the CIA through their massive network of SPIES and covert soldiers of fortune just pick up Osama Bin Laden, would have been the smart way. Dropping bombs on innocent citizens of Afghanistan was great PR for the upset American people, but looked at from a world humanity standpoint, it was not very Christian.

Now America is over there killing and being killed after several years, embarrassed to even mention what the heck they are doing. If the Americans pull out, there is no way the huge army,navy,air force of the Osama terror gang, will attack America. Wake up Americans, Cheney and Rummy lied you into a kill your sons and daughters for MONEY game.

[cubscout09]

The UN just got bombed in Afghanistan. We tried having the CIA, ect. "pick up Osama," it didn't work. Osama doesn't have a huge Army, Navy or Air Force. Cheney and Rummy lied about Iraq, not, Afghanistan. They were oblivious to Osama until 9/11. I agree with your sentiments, you just have your facts in a mish-mash.

[hermitdave]

One big problem the CIA did not try very hard to pick up Osama for obvious reasons. It would have ruined Cheney and Rummy's excuse for war to get heroin and oil.

[bubbadubba]

As the Limbetts and Hannitones would say "this is all Obama's fault"

[us_1776]

H1N1 kills through pneumonia and meningitis/encephalitis. Doctors should take steps to combat these stages. Keep patients moving. Just lying in a bed helps the lungs fill with water. And use pneumonia vaccines if available.

[erasmus111]

That is very true, but when you are sicker than a dog, it's hard to keep moving.

[erasmus111]

It's too bad that the people that don't want theirs couldn't donate them to these people. Canada supposedly has enough for everyone, but I know there are quite a few people that don't want one.