India at virus risk from Kabul

Hyderabad: Health experts fear that the coronavirus (COVID- 19) may come to India from Afghanistan as a large number of medical and trade visas are issued to Afghans.

Over 100 Afghan patients travel to New Delhi every month.

Despite a case in Afghanistan as of Wednesday, India laid no restrictions for Afgh-anistan.

Iran is the hub for COVID 19 outside China, and the virus travelled from Iran to Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Afghanistan through pilgrims, forcing pilgrimage to be suspended. The transmission is currently human-to-human.

“COVID-19 has shown that one infected person can become a super-spreader,” Dr K.K. Aggarwal of the Conferedation of Medical Associations in Asia and Oceania said.

“It was so in South Korea and in Iran. Why must India not learn and be prepared to tackle it? We can no longer say that heat or hot conditions will stop the virus.”

The concept of super-spreader has evolved in coronavirus, and it takes the form of a cough where viruses are emitted as large droplets from the infected body onto a surface (table, chair, doorknob, etc) that is touched by others, leading to transmission.

Numerous droplets in a closed area can infect more than 30 people.

The infected in Iran, South Korea, Italy, Paki-stan, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan have no history of travel to China and no contact with travellers from China.

Experts concluded it was through the touch of an infected surface.

The super-spreader can apply to India which is no longer safe.

“We are banking on self-reported cases and airport screening but not carrying out tests,” a senior government doctor anonymously said.

“Tests may show cases. But the government is maintaining that like SARS, it will not come to India.”