Ivory Coast tests first person in Africa for coronavirus

The infamous Wuhan Corona Virus that first spread in China December 2019 claiming over 80 lives has been detected in Ivory Coast. 

The invdividual suspected to have the virus is a student who arrived from China and is the first person to be tested on the African continent. 

According to Ivory Coast's Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene, the 34-year-old student who arrived in Abidjan from Beijing was said to have been coughing, sneezing and experiencing difficulty breathing, 

The student has currently been quarantined and is under medical observation. It is believed the student could be suffering from pneumonia and not the Corona Virus- the results of the test have not yet been processed.

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 upgradescreening 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.