22, February 2020
WHO warns African health systems ill-equipped to respond to coronavirus outbreak 0
The World Health Organization warned Saturday that African health systems were ill-equipped to respond to the deadly coronavirus outbreak should cases start to proliferate on the continent.
The WHO chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, called on African Union member states “to come together to be more aggressive in attacking” the virus, known as COVID-19.
“Our biggest concern continues to be the potential for COVID-19 to spread in countries with weaker health systems,” Tedros, speaking by video link from Geneva, said during a meeting of 36 African health ministers at AU headquarters in Addis Ababa.
The outbreak which began in December has already killed more than 2,200 people and infected more than 75,500 in China.
More than 1,150 people have also been infected outside China, although Egypt is the only African country to have recorded a confirmed case.
There have been more than 200 suspected cases in the WHO’s AFRO region, which includes most African countries, though nearly all have been confirmed negative, regional director Matshidiso Rebecca Moeti said Saturday.
But if COVID-19 starts to spread on the continent, African health systems will struggle to treat patients suffering from symptoms such as respiratory failure, septic shock and multi-organ failure, Tedros said.
“These patients require intensive care using equipment such as respiratory support machines that are, as you know, in short supply in many African countries and that’s a cause for concern,” he said.
Several African airlines including Kenya Airways have suspended flights to China, although the continent’s biggest carrier Ethiopian Airlines has kept its China routes open.
Liu Yuxi, China’s ambassador to the AU, on Saturday urged officials to ease travel restrictions
“I hope that everyone will stay calm and objective. Excessive panic could actually increase the disease,” he said.
AU Commission chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat told officials to take “drastic preventive and control measures.”
“Africa is particularly at risk, given its relatively fragile health systems,” he said.
‘Looming threat’
African countries have been scrambling to develop the capacity to test for COVID-19.
In three weeks, the number of African countries capable of conducting their own tests has jumped from two to 26, Moeti said.
John Nkengasong, director of the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told AFP that number would soon be well over 40.
Yet he noted that if COVID-19 cases started emerging in large numbers African countries could encounter shortages of testing kits and personal protective equipment like face masks.
“If truly we have a virus introduced on the continent and it becomes a larger issue, the ability to procure diagnostics in a timely fashion to support that testing will still be limited,” he said.
“We are facing a looming threat, a serious threat for the continent,” he added.
Tedros said in his remarks that 30,000 sets of personal protective equipment had been shipped “to several countries in Africa”, and that 60,000 more tests would be sent to 19 countries “in the coming weeks.”
He also announced that Nkengasong and Samba Sow, director general of the Center for Vaccine Development in Mali, had been appointed special envoys for the African response to COVID-19.
Tedros said their mandate was “to provide strategic advice and high-level political advocacy and engagement in Africa.”
(Source: AFP)
23, February 2020
Cameroonian Student After Coronavirus Cure says Chinese Doctors And Nurses Are Extraordinary 0
Pavel, a student from Cameroon,is the first, and till now the only African patient to be diagnosed with novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) in China. From confirmation on January 30, to isolation and treatment, till discharge from hospital on February 10,what struck Pavel the most in the unforgettable 12-day-long experience is that “Be it Chinese or foreign nationals, as long as we work together, there’s nothing to be feared in the fight against epidemic.”
The 20-year-old Cameroonian student speaks fluent Chinese and has a Chinese name called “Dong Qichen”. After learning Chinese for two years at the Confucius Institute in Cameroon and the Wenzhou University, he’s now studying at the College of Agriculture of Yangtze University in Jingzhou, Hubei province. He travelled to Wuhan with friends in January and was infected with NCP during his time there. “Soon after my return, I had a fever with a temperature of about 38 degrees centigrade. My teacher was very worried and asked about my condition by phone every one or two hours. I was so moved.”
After being diagnosed with NCP at the Jingzhou Thoracic Hospital of Hubei Province, Pavel had been actively cooperating with treatment. “They took very good care of me in each and every step of treatment! Chinese doctors and nurses are highly professional and dedicated. Regular disinfection, temperature measurement, and check were conducted at the hospital. The isolation ward is clean and tidy, with three meals a day, and a TV. My doctor told me that I’m doing well and there’s no need for worry. My teachers and classmates call me every day. I can also feel that I’m getting better.”
After his nucleic acid test turned negative, on February 10th , Pavel got his discharge record, which was densely packed with medical information, diagnosis, and doctor’s advice. “During my stay in hospital, I learnt about Chinese medical staff’s workload and the pressure on them. Their families and friends are worried about them. However, they are all brave, strong and united. They are extraordinary!” This experience fills Pavel with gratitude and admiration for the Chinese doctors and nurses.
“Can you believe it? The news that I’ve been cured has spread to Cameroon and made headlines! The Cameroonian Embassy in China also issued an announcement about it. I’m a celebrity now.” In Hubei Province alone, there are nearly 3,000 students from Africa, including around 70 from Cameroon. In these days, family members and friends are all concerned about Pavel. “Originally, my family members in Africa were extremely worried. I’ve been telling them that the disease is controllable and curable. In fact, I haven’t felt as much pain this time as I had in Africa before when I was stricken with malaria or typhoid. Believe me, the best doctor for you is yourself, and the best medicine your smile.”
Although he still has to stay in his own dormitory for self-isolation after he left the hospital, Pavel feels relieved. “We all love China deeply and always have firm faith in the Chinese government. Let’s stay patient and optimistic and work together in the same spirit! At the end of the day, the epidemic will be defeated!”
Source: People’s Daily