The population of the African continent exceeds one billion. However, a recent affair revealed the weakness of the health infrastructure there. In Africa, only six laboratories are today capable of carrying out coronavirus tests. This seems very little in the event of the arrival of the epidemic.
A few weeks ago, when the first cases of coronavirus 2019-nCoV were confirmed in China, Ivory Coast suspected one of its nationals to have been infected. As the Washington Post explains in an article from February 6, 2020, the country's authorities had sent samples to the nearest laboratory capable of carrying out the analyses. However, this one was in Paris, in other words more than 7,000 kilometers away.
The analyzes have fortunately turned out to be negative. However, this case made it clear that the continent did not have the means to cope to a possible arrival of the first cases of coronavirus. A week ago, only two African laboratories were able to perform the coronavirus test. These are found in Senegal and South Africa. In the following days, different countries received the necessary materials, namely Ghana, Madagascar, Nigeria as well as Sierra Leone.
The fact is that with six laboratories, the African continent still seems far too poorly equipped. Recall that its population is about 1.2 billion people ! In addition, no less than a million Chinese nationals are also there. However, they sometimes live in very densely populated areas.
As everyone knows, Africa has not yet been affected by the current epidemic. However, the lack of means makes us fear the worst. This fear relates to the outbreak of large epidemic foci on the mainland if imported cases of coronavirus were to be confirmed. Moreover, the current balance sheet still shows more than 40,000 cases for around 900 deaths and no one is certain that the peak of the epidemic has been reached.
You should know that the World Health Organization (WHO) has drawn up a list of 13 countries particularly at risk because of their links with China. Unfortunately, the latter are slow to take action. Let us quote a few timid reactions all the same. Mozambique no longer issues visas for Chinese nationals and South Africa returns parcels from China. In addition, several airlines on the continent have stopped their connections with this country.
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