Afghanistan reported its first confirmed novel coronavirus case on Monday, the country's health ministry announced.

Ferozuddin Feroz, the minister of public health, told a press conference in Kabul one of three suspected cases had been confirmed in the Western province of Herat.

He also announced a state of emergency in the province, which borders Iran where dozens of cases of the disease have been confirmed.

Afghanistan's Office of the National Security Council (ONSC) Sunday said the country suspended air and ground travel to neighboring Iran as fears across the region grow over a jump in new coronavirus infections.