--- title: H1N1 Virus Threatens Afghanistan | TIME description: Afghanistan has seen a recent outbreak of the H1N1 virus that health officials say could lead to a potential epidemic canonical: https://time.com/video/5Ku6xmnl/ og:title: H1N1 Virus Threatens Afghanistan og:description: Afghanistan has seen a recent outbreak of the H1N1 virus that health officials say could lead to a potential epidemic og:url: https://time.com/video/5Ku6xmnl/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/5Ku6xmnl/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: H1N1 Virus Threatens Afghanistan twitter:description: Afghanistan has seen a recent outbreak of the H1N1 virus that health officials say could lead to a potential epidemic twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/5Ku6xmnl/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # H1N1 Virus Threatens Afghanistan > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: H1N1 Virus Threatens Afghanistan [Watch (HLS stream): H1N1 Virus Threatens Afghanistan](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/5Ku6xmnl.m3u8) (2:31)  _Published 2009-12-09. Afghanistan has seen a recent outbreak of the H1N1 virus that health officials say could lead to a potential epidemic_ --- Jul 27, 2023 1:16 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [What Is the Zika Virus?](/video/9AN9EZz4/) ### What Is the Zika Virus? [Ebola: The Deadly Virus Outbreak Explained](/video/oB7TO3G5/) ### Ebola: The Deadly Virus Outbreak Explained [Chicken Eggs and Antigens: How the H1N1 Vaccine Is Made](/video/SaofBvUJ/) ### Chicken Eggs and Antigens: How the H1N1 Vaccine Is Made --- ## Transcript >> As if Afghans don't already face enough hardship. More than a dozen people have died in recent days due to an outbreak of the H1N1 virus. On the busy streets of Kabul, more and more Afghans are wearing surgical masks hoping to reduce their chances of contracting the potentially fatal virus. To curtail the spread of the virus, the country's health ministry recommends people wear the masks as well as regular handwashing. Schools are also closed for at least the next several weeks. Concerned about contracting the virus is growing among Afghans in the capital. 18- year- old Nakibullah says he is going to wear his mask until government health officials give him the okay to remove it, but he thinks that could be a long time. >> I think it's gonna be finished after months or years, I think so. It's gonna take a huge time. The first cases of the virus were diagnosed over the summer. Dr. Ahmad Farid Raaid with the Afghan Health Ministry says it was first discovered among foreigners. Some blamed these outsiders for introducing H1N1 to Afghanistan. >> Some foreigners came from outside and they were based in a military base and then they sprayed this virus to their colleagues and then their number increased. So far the time talking with you, we have 768 positive cases of this virus. >> Raaid says that despite the preventative measures, tens of thousands could be infected with the virus during the cold winter months. The world health organization is hoping it can help Afghanistan avoid the spread of H1N1. The U. N. body is sending 2 million doses of the vaccine to Afghanistan. However, even WHO Representative Peter Graaff says the vaccines won't be enough to stop the virus from spreading. Graaff says the country's contamination levels have potentially reached epidemic proportions. >> We have to very much at the beginning of building up our health services and that's therefore a potential epidemic with potentially millions of people being ill, it's going to be a major effort. Major challenge for the ministry. It seems that H1N1 is just yet another challenge for Afghans to overcome. 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