Africa on high alert for corona outbreak as the virus is confirmed in 27 countries
In the wake of the outbreak, several international airports across the continent introduced screenings and Mauritius introduced a mandatory quarantine on all passengers that have visited China’s Hubei province, where the outbreak originated, irrespective of their nationality.
The virus has so far claimed at least 910 lives worldwide.
At the beginning of last week there were only two laboratories in Africa that were able to test samples of the killer virus - in Senegal and South Africa.
But by the end of the week, laboratories were set up in Ghana, Madagascar, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
The World Health Organisation (WHO), which has declared the outbreak a global health emergency, identified 13 top priority countries due to their direct links or high volume of travel to China. The countries are: Algeria, Angola, Ivory Coast , Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
The WHO yesterday said the virus was now in 27 countries.
“WHO plays an active role in supporting countries to co-ordinate preparation efforts and surge staff have arrived in seven of the 13 countries and by the end of the week teams are expected to be in place in all,” the world health body said.
Other countries across the globe have already introduced measures. There are about 12 cases of coronavirus in the US and American citizens have been warned not to travel to China.
The State Department said that since January 29 it had evacuated about 850 people, most Americans, on five charter flights out of Wuhan.The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have offered to send a team of experts to China to observe the outbreak but no invitation has been extended.
There are about 43 coronavirus cases in Singapore with three new ones confirmed on Sunday with “no recent travel history to China”, according to the country’s health ministry.
It advised citizens to “defer all travel to Hubei province and all non-essential travel to mainland China”. Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing said the government would distribute four masks to 1.3million households in the country.
Australia has at least 15 confirmed coronavirus cases. Its chief medical officer has recommended that citizens shouldn’t travel to China and many airlines have temporarily reduced or stopped flights to that country.
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