Lagos Confirms First Case of Coronavirus In Sub-Saharan Africa

The Lagos State Ministry of Health has confirmed the first case of coronavirus in Sub-Saharan Africa. Professor Akin Abayomi Commissioner for Health of Lagos revealed in a statement that the case is that of an Italian citizen who entered Nigeria on Tuesday from Milan on a business trip.

In the statement, Abayomi advised Lagosians to remain calm writing and reassured Nigerians of the State’s readiness to commit all its resources to guarantee there is no outbreak. The statement read “I wish to assure all Lagosians and Nigerians that we have been strengthening our preparedness since the first confirmation of cases in China. We will use all the resources made available by the State and the Federal Government to respond to this case.”

The World Health Organization has classified Nigeria and 12 other African countries as high priority in this outbreak because of direct links to China as well as a high number of visitors from there.

Nigeria was widely praised for its containment of Ebola in 2014 and hopefully, the initiatives this time are even better.

Source: NYTimes