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Afghan gov't shuts down schools to check flu outbreak

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-11-02 14:51

KABUL: As a precautionary measure to check the possible rapid outbreak of the A/H1N1 virus in the war-torn Afghanistan, the Education Ministry of the country has shut down schools for three weeks, local media reported Monday.

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"All the public and private schools will be closed down for three weeks beginning from Monday November 2 and this is a precautionary measure to check the outbreak of A/H1N1 in the country," daily Rah-e-Nejat quoted a statement of the ministry as saying.

Xinhua's scribe contacted a government girl school Totia in Kabul authorities inside confirmed the instruction, saying the students are on three-week leave effective from Monday.

More than 300 people, according to media reports, have been affected by the disease and the epidemic has claimed the life of at least one person over the past couple of weeks.