DR Congo''s first coronavirus case confirmed in Kinshasa
The Briefing #Issue 55, Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Dear Readers,
The first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was detected on Tuesday, March 10, 2020, in Kinshasa. The information was confirmed to ACTUALITE.CD by Dr. Eteni Longondo, DRC’s Minister of Health.
"I have just been informed and I am informing the Congolese so that they do not panic. More details will be released in the next few hours, "he said.
"He is confined to a hospital," the minister told AFP. "We are tracking people who came into contact with him so that they too can be placed in quarantine, and tested." Kinshasa, which has a population of more than 10 million people, is served by direct flights from Brussels and Paris.
“He arrived a few days ago from Belgium. I cannot confirm the day. I was in contact with the border health services. When he arrived, he had no symptoms, "added the minister.
Dr. Eteni Longondo also announced that Belgium will be placed on the same list as China and the other countries at high risk.
"We are in contact with China, France, Iraq, Iran, Italy, and South Korea. With this case, we will include Belgium on the list, ”he said.
A few hours later during public and official communication, the minister added that the patient is a 52-year-old Congolese resident in France who arrived on March 8.
The diagnosis of this first case was made at the National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB).
Worldwide, the number of cases exceeds 110,000, with more than 4,000 deaths.
According to Reuters, the outbreak has largely spared sub-Saharan Africa so far, but since February a few cases have been registered in Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Cameroon, Togo, and Burkina Faso. North African countries have registered dozens of cases.
Congo’s first coronavirus case comes as its long-running Ebola epidemic appears to be on the wane. The last patient being treated for Ebola was discharged on March 3 - the first time there have been no active cases since the outbreak was declared in August 2018.
Fabrice Iranzi
Founding Editor, RegionWeek.com
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