Health concerns have been raised as reports have it that a suspected case of coronavirus is being dealt with in Ivory Coast.
The country’s health ministry which made the announcement stated that an unnamed student, who returned to the West African country from Beijing on Saturday, is undergoing further tests after showing flu-like symptoms.
If confirmed, it will be the first case of the deadly virus in Africa. The virus, which first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has spread to over 2,000 people and killed 56.
Accoding to officials, woman is presently receiving treatment in isolation, officials said.
The traveller has lived in China for the past five years, according to the statement released by Ivory Coast’s health ministry, and had shown flu-like symptoms before boarding the plane to Abidjan.
“Her general state is satisfactory,” the ministry said. “There are, at this stage, suspicions of a case of pneumonia tied to the coronavirus.”
The woman’s test results are expected on Sunday evening. Currently known as 2019-nCoV, the virus is understood to be a new strain of coronavirus not previously identified in humans. Since the outbreak began in Wuhan, several African countries have introduced extra screening on flights arriving from China, PUNCH reports.
