Health authorities in Ivory Coast are investigating a suspected case of
Wuhan coronavirus in a female student who arrived from China, officials
have said.
The student, whom authorities have not named, is the first person to be tested for the virus on the continent, CNN reports.
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.
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.