The World Health Organisation has confirmed that Coronavirus in Algeria, making it the second African country with the case of the virus.
According to the country’s Ministry of Health, Population and Hospital Reform, the patient arrived from Italy, one of the affected countries, on February 17.
According to WHO, health authorities report that tests indicated that an Italian adult, who arrived in the country on February 17, 2020 tested positive for Coronavirus.
“This is the first case in the WHO African region.
“The window of opportunity the continent has had to prepare for Coronavirus is closing.
Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, urged all countries in the region to prepare for the virus.
“All countries must ramp up their preparedness activities,” she said.
She stated that Algeria was one of 13 countries, which WHO had identified as a top priority for preparedness measures due to their direct links or high volume of travel to China.
WHO is preparing to deploy a team of experts to Algeria to support health authorities.
