Coronavirus: West African region needs $50m to strengthen preparedness - WAHO

News Agency Of Nigeria

February 17, 2020 7:08 PM

The West African Health Organisation (WAHO) says West African region is in need of 50 million dollars to strengthen the capacity of member states, especially weak countries that lacked capacity to diagnose or contain Coronavirus (Covid-19).

coronavirus blood specimen (GETTY Images)

Prof. Stanley Okolo, Director-General of WAHO, made this known to newsmen on Monday in Abuja, while delivering the outcome from the Emergency meeting held in Bamako, Republic of Mali.

Okolo said that only about six countries of 15 countries in the region have capacity to diagnose and contain the virus.

He explained that the needed funding would be used to boost capacity of weak countries and purchase reagents, among others.

The director-general listed countries with capacity to diagnose or contain Coronavirus to include: Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Cote d’ivoire.

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Others are Ghana, Sierra Leone and Senegal with each country having at least one suspected cases that tested negative.

On rumours that Covid-19 could not survive in tropical environments, the director-general said research was still ongoing to ascertain if it was true.

News Agency Of Nigeria