According to the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC), the infection was diagnosed in an Italian citizen who arrived from Milan, Italy earlier this week.
Coronavirus in Nigeria: Lagos gets its first confirmed case of the deadly outbreak
The first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus in sub-Saharan Africa has been reported in Lagos, Nigeria.
Italy is one of the countries affected by the global outbreak of the virus, officially known as COVID-19.
Issuing a public statement on Twitter, Nigeria's Health Minister Osagie Ehanire said: "The patient is clinically stable and is being managed at the Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba. We assure all Nigerians that measures are in place to respond appropriately. We are working with the Lagos Ministry of Health to identify contacts and initiate response accordingly. "
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This case was confirmed by the Virology Laboratory of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, part of the Laboratory Network of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
So far, the Commissioner for Health in Lagos, Prof Akin Abayomi, says: "The patient is clinically stable, with no serious symptoms, and is being managed at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba, Lagos."
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AFP
Following the continuous spread of the virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) is advising everyone to remain calm.
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"Fear and panic doesn’t help. People can have concerns and rightly so. People can be worried and rightly so. The most important thing is to calm down and do the right things to fight this very dangerous #coronavirus," says Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
The case, which was confirmed on February 27, 2020, is the first in sub-Saharan Africa and the second in the entire continent.
Across the rest of the world, the coronavirus has infected over 80,000 and killed nearly 3,000 people.
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