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A8   WORLD NEWS
               Saturday 29 February 2020
            Nigeria confirms 1st case of new virus in sub-Saharan Africa




            By  BASHIR  ADIGUN  and                                                                                             reached  there  in  2014  af-
            CARA ANNA                                                                                                           ter  an  infected  man  from
            Associated Press                                                                                                    Liberia  landed  in  Lagos.
            ABUJA,  Nigeria  (AP)  —  Ni-                                                                                       Nineteen  people  were  in-
            gerian authorities on Friday                                                                                        fected and seven died, but
            confirmed  the  first  case  of                                                                                     officials were praised for ef-
            the new coronavirus in sub-                                                                                         fective  public  awareness
            Saharan Africa as the out-                                                                                          campaigns.
            break  spread  to  a  region                                                                                        "The Ebola outbreak taught
            with  some  of  the  world's                                                                                        us  a  lot  of  lessons,"  the  di-
            weakest health systems.                                                                                             rector of the Nigeria Center
            The  health  commissioner                                                                                           for Disease Control, Chikwe
            for  Lagos,  Africa's  largest                                                                                      Ihekweazu, wrote in a com-
            city with more than 20 mil-                                                                                         mentary for The Conversa-
            lion people, said an Italian                                                                                        tion  last  month.  As  of  De-
            citizen who entered Nigeria                                                                                         cember,  all  36  of  Nigeria's
            on Tuesday from Milan on a                                                                                          states had a rapid response
            business  trip  fell  ill  the next                                                                                 team in case of a disease
            day.  Commissioner  Akin                                                                                            outbreak, he wrote, and 22
            Abayomi said the man was                                                                                            states had emergency op-
            clinically stable with no seri-  A woman wearing a face mask walks at the Yaba Mainland hospital where an Italian citizen who   erations centers.
            ous symptoms.                entered Nigeria on Tuesday from Milan on a business trip, the first case of the COVID-19 virus is   Nigeria  is  also  currently
            Abayomi said officials were   being treated in Lagos Nigeria Friday, Feb. 28, 2020.                                 dealing  with  an  outbreak
            working to identify all of the                                                                     Associated Press   of  Lassa  fever  —  an  indi-
            man's  contacts  in  Nigeria.  cent days. Until then, some  Global  Health  Network  at  CDC had anticipated that  cation  of  the  health  chal-
            The Italian had traveled on  global  health  experts  had  the  Nuffield  Department  COVID-19  outbreak  would  lenges  that  many  African
            Turkish  Airlines  to  Istanbul  expressed  surprise  that  no  of  Medicine  and  the  Uni-  inevitably  impact  Africa  nations face.
            and then to Lagos, accord-   cases  had  been  reported  versity  of  Oxford,  said  in  a  and has been working ac-  With the new virus case an-
            ing  to  health  authorities.  in Africa.                 statement.  But  detection  tively  with  African  Union  nounced in Nigeria, Africa's
            Lagos state early this month  Concerns  about  the  vi-   of  further  cases  in  Africa  Member  States  and  part-  most populous country with
            advised  people  arriving  rus  spreading  to  countries  will be challenging as more  ners  on  preparedness  and  190 million people and nu-
            from  virus-affected  areas  with weaker health systems  inexpensive testing kits are  response  to  the  disease  in  merous air links around the
            to observe 14 days of self-  led  the  World  Health  Or-  needed for on-the-spot di-  the continent. "             continent  and  beyond,
            quarantine.                  ganization  to  declare  the  agnosis, Lang added.        Most  African  airlines  with  other  nations  warned  of
            "I have seen him this morn-  outbreak  a  global  health  The  Africa  Centers  for  Dis-  direct  flights  to  China  possible spread.
            ing,  he  is  in  high  spirits,"  emergency  last  month.  ease  Control  and  Preven-  quickly  suspended  them,  "Given these recent devel-
            said  Dr.  Bowale  Abimbola,  WHO officials in Africa have  tion  has  hurried  to  train  its  and  countries  activated  opments  globally  and  in
            medical  director  of  the  warned that health systems  54  member  countries  in  surveillance  and  quaran-       Africa, it is not unlikely that
            hospital where the 44-year-  could be overwhelmed.        testing for the virus. Just two  tine  measures.  Many  had  we will have importation of
            old Italian was brought with  Nigeria is one of 13 African  countries had the capabil-  experience  with  trying  to  COVID-19 to South Africa,"
            body aches and fever. "He  countries  classified  by  the  ity at the beginning of this  prevent  the  spread  of  the  that  country's  National  In-
            is  doing  well  and  we  ex-  WHO as high priority in this  month. Now more than two  devastating  West  Africa  stitute  for  Communicable
            pect  that  he  will  continue  outbreak because of direct  dozen have it, including Ni-  Ebola outbreak that ended  Diseases said.
            to do well."                 links to China or a high num-  geria.                     in  2016.  Global  health  ex-  Separately,  South  Africa
            Nigerian  health  authori-   ber of visitors from there.  Africa  Centers  for  Disease  perts point to that as a sign  said  two  citizens  who  had
            ties  urged  Lagos  residents  That  Nigeria's  first  case  Control  has  deployed  an  of preparedness in this out-  been  working  on  the  Prin-
            to  take  measures  such  as  came  from  overseas  and  epidemiologist  to  Nigeria  break. The Africa CDC was  cess  Diamond  cruise  ship
            keeping their distance from  wasn't    person-to-person  and  shipped  1,000  addi-    created in response to the  have the virus and will stay
            people  who  cough  and  transmission  inside  Africa  tional  testing  kits,  accord-  Ebola outbreak, and many  in  Japan  for  treatment.
            washing  their  hands  regu-  "shows  that  the  Nigerian  ing to Africa CDC director  countries  established  pub-  South Africa said it was in-
            larly.                       government  had  the  right  Dr. John Nkengasong.         lic health institutes.       formed  by  Japanese  au-
            Cases of the virus also were  systems in place to detect  "Nigeria  is  well  capaci-  Nigeria  was  praised  for  thorities  Tuesday  after  the
            confirmed in Egypt and Al-   and  confirm  this  case,"  tated  to  respond  to  the  quickly  containing  cases  quarantine  on  the  ship
            geria  in  north  Africa  in  re-  Trudie Lang, director of The  outbreak,"  he  said.  "Africa  when  the  Ebola  outbreak  ended. q

            Cyprus says Turkey deliberately sent it migrants for months



            By MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS                         continue  to  accept  (migrants)  in  such  num-  Nouris said Cyprus currently hosts 21,000 asylum
            Associated Press                                bers," Nouris told The Associated Press.        seekers  —  or  3.8%  of  its  population.  Most  are
            NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus' interior minister  The Cypriot government sees this as a long-run-  from the Middle East, chiefly Syria, and Asia. An-
            on Friday accused Turkey of deliberately chan-  ning issue.                                     other 12,000 have been granted asylum.
            neling  migrants  for  months  to  the  ethnically-  Unlike fellow European Union-member Greece,  Cyprus is looking to the EU for additional finan-
            divided island's Greek Cypriot south to change  Cyprus did not see a wave of migrants trying to  cial and material support to help cope with mi-
            the composition of its population.              enter  Friday  after  Turkey  said  it  would  no  lon-  grant inflows.
            Nicos  Nouris  said  up  to  two-thirds  of  arriving  ger hold them back following its military losses  Nouris was in Brussels last week to argue for a
            migrants  reach  the  internationally-recognized  in Syria.                                     comprehensive EU migration policy allowing a
            south  through  the  breakaway  Turkish  Cypriot  Cyprus was split along ethnic lines in 1974 when  fairer  distribution  of  migrants  who  have  been
            north that's recognized only by Turkey.         Turkey invaded following a coup by supporters  granted asylum.
            "We maintain that there is a very specific pur-  of union with Greece. Cyprus joined the EU in  He  said  European  Commission  Vice-President
            pose and aim, which is to alter the island's de-  2004, but only the Greek Cypriot south enjoys  Margaritis Schinas will visit Cyprus in the near fu-
            mographic character, and clearly we cannot  full membership benefits.                           ture to assess the situation.q
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