Afghanistan is currently at high risk of being impacted by COVID-19, due to lack of public awareness (more than half the population is illiterate), lack of personal protective equipment, poverty, high number of individuals with chronic diseases, drug addition, high number of returnees from Iran. This project aims at preventing and controlling the spread of COVID-19 in Kabul and Herat, through increasing public awareness, training medical personnel and distributing personal protective equipment.
The global health emergency due to COVID-19 could have a dramatic impact on Afghanistan. The country already faces a crippled health system after years of conflict, instability and poverty. More than half the population of Afghanistan is illiterate and lives below the poverty line. Lack of public awareness about the virus, in addition to insufficient medical and personal protective equipment, puts Afghanistan at high risk of being impacted by COVID-19 if preventive measures are not taken.
This emergency appeal aims at raising awareness on COVID-19 among the Afghan population and help put preventive measures in place, including the development and distribution of personal protective guidelines; train medical personnel on COVID-19 to: identify possible infected patients, prevention of infections among staff and treatment of confirmed patients properly; distribute personal protective equipment (gloves, masks, hand sanitizers and soap) to the general population and medical personnel.
The transmission, morbidity and mortality rate related to COVID-19 is decreased in the targeted Provinces of Kabul and Herat.
