By Bukola Adebayo, Yamoussoukro IVORY COAST
Health authorities in Ivory Coast
are investigating a suspected case of Wuhan coronavirus in a female student who
arrived from China, officials have said.
An unnamed female passenger is being tested for coronavirus after traveling from Beijing to the Félix-Houphouët-Boigny International Airport in Abidjan on Saturday. |
The
student, whom authorities have not named, is the first person to be tested for
the virus on the continent. The virus has killed at least 80 people in the mainland Chinese city of Wuhan.
The
34-year-old student traveled from Beijing to the Félix-Houphouët-Boigny
International Airport in Abidjan on Saturday and was coughing, sneezing and
experienced difficulty breathing, Ivory Coast's Ministry of Health and Public
Hygiene said in statement.
The
student was moved to a safe location upon arrival at the airport and is
currently under medical observation, the ministry said.
Authorities
believe it is highly likely a case of pneumonia and not coronavirus, but the
final diagnosis will be made after the analysis of the results of the test, the
ministry said.
Michel
Yao, WHO Africa emergency response program manager, said the agency had advised
health ministers in the region to activate standard flu screening at airports
for passengers coming from mainland China.
Residents
are urged not to panic, to maintain proper hygiene, and to visit the closest
health center in case of fever, cough, or breathing difficulties.
More than
2700 coronavirus cases have been confirmed, prompting countries around the world, including Nigeria to
shore up surveillance and screening at airports, especially for travelers
arriving from Wuhan in China where the outbreak began in December.
Aviation
authorities in Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, said airlines operating
in its airspace should update crew members on how to handle sick passengers on
board their aircrafts.
Pilots
must report such cases to health officials on landing while also encouraging
sick travelers to seek help before leaving the airport, Nigeria's Federal Airport
Agency said in a statement.
Kenya,
whose national carrier Kenya Airways, operates nonstop flights from Nairobi
capital to Guangzhou, has also begun screening passengers arriving from China
at its airport, according to local media.
Coronavirus are a large group of viruses that are common
among animals, according to the US Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
In rare
cases, they are what scientists call zoonotic, meaning they can be transmitted
from animals to humans. The viruses can make people sick, usually with a mild
to moderate upper respiratory tract illness, similar to a common cold.
Symptoms
include a runny nose, cough, sore throat, and infected persons may have
headaches and maybe a fever, which can last for a couple of days.
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