Skip to main content

WHO lists Nigeria, 12 others as top-risk African nations


The World Health Organisation has identified 13 high-risk African countries for coronavirus.
They are Algeria, Angola, Ivory Coast, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
A statement from WHO said the identified African nations have direct links or a high volume of travel to China.
"WHO has identified 13 top priority countries (Algeria, Angola, Cote d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia) which either have direct links or a high volume of travel to China.
"To ensure rapid detection of the novel coronavirus, it is important to have laboratories which can test samples and WHO is supporting countries to improve their testing capacity. Since this is a new virus, there are currently only two referral laboratories in the African region which have the reagents needed to conduct such tests.
"However, reagent kits are being shipped to more than 20 other countries in the region, so diagnostic capacity is expected to increase over the coming days. Active screening at airports has been established in a majority of these countries and while they will be WHO first areas of focus, the organization will support all countries in the region in their preparation efforts,” the WHO said in a statement.
“It is critical that countries step up their readiness and in particular put in place effective screening mechanisms at airports and other major points of entry to ensure that the first cases are detected quickly,” added WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti.
“The quicker countries can detect cases, the faster they will be able to contain an outbreak and ensure the novel coronavirus does not overwhelm health systems.”
As yet, there are no confirmed cases of the potentially fatal virus on the African continent.
Ethiopian Minister of Health Lia Tadesse said four possible cases there have tested negative for 2019-nCoV, as has been the case elsewhere.
Angolan health minister Sílvia Lutucuta reports a new suspected case there, while Sudanese authorities previously said they were investigating two possible coronavirus infections.
China’s latest update on the coronavirus epidemic, issued at midnight Thursday, listed 213 fatalities with a new total of 9,692 confirmed cases. There were 15,238 suspected cases along with 113,579 close contacts under health monitoring, according to the National Health Commission.
WHO’s International Health Regulations Emergency Committee declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on Thursday.
The PHEIC is a designation for an “extraordinary event” with the potential for international disease spread, one that requires immediate international action and coordinated response to reduce the global public health risk.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Two herbalists arrested for fraud in Enugu State

                       Two suspected fraudsters, Akin Ogunsemi and Shina Fatola, who specialised in masquerading as herbalists to defraud unsuspecting members of the public, have landed in police net in Enugu. According to Punchng, the suspects are said to be indigenes of Ijebu Igbo in Ogun State. They were apprehended at Ukwuoji, Enugu, on May 1, 2018, by men of the police Anti-Cult Unit. Items recovered from them are some fake foreign currencies, charms and other suspected shrine materials.
Post a Comment
Read more

Horror as a whistle blower uncovers horrific abuse Chinese company in Aba allegedly subject their Nigerian staff to

                                     A whistleblower has exposed the horrific abuse and discrimination he allegedly uncovered in a Chinese company operating in Nigeria.   The Twitter user said the company located in at Umuahala, Obuzor Asa, in Ukwa West LGA of Abia State, is managed by Chinese while most of their workers are Nigerians.     However, he said the Nigerian staff are made to work under the most "dehumanizing conditions ever known to mankind".   He reported that every Nigerian staff is expected to call every Chinese staff "Master or Mistress".   He added that "male Nigerian workers are physically assaulted, while their female counterparts are sexually assaulted without any consequence."   When a Nigerian staff errs, the Chinese staff allegedly employ the services of Nigerian soldiers to discipline them mercilessly.    ...
Post a Comment
Read more

N9.2M Fraud: Former Oyo State court registrar bags 7years jail term

                       On Friday, May 18, 2018, EFCC secured the conviction of a former Deputy Chief Registrar of the Oyo State High Court, Mutiat Omobola Adio. Justice O. M. Olagunju of the Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan found the convict guilty on one of a two count charge brought against her.  The count which earns the convict a jail term borders on the allegation of obtaining the sum of N9.2 million by false pretence from one Abiodun Rasheed Olonade, Nigerian reident in Ireland.‎ Adio was ‎sentenced to 7years Imprisonment without an option of fine. The court also ordered that the convict restitute the sum of N9.2m to the victim. The charge  reads: “that you, Mutiat Omobola Adio on or about the 19th of December, 2016, at Ibadan within the Ibadan judicial Division of this Honourable court with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of...
Post a Comment
Read more