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Five countries officially free from the virus in Africa

2020-03-31T19:51:26.161Z



Five African states are among the few countries in the world to have yet to report any cases of new coronavirus.

Burundi left the list Tuesday evening after the announcement by its Minister of Health of the first two cases of new coronavirus in the country which until then had said " protected by the grace of God".

Read also: Coronavirus: can Africa cope with an epidemic?

The pandemic affecting the planet has struck in almost all countries, with the exception of a handful of small, isolated islands, Yemen at war and the very closed North Korea.

In Africa, some of these countries attribute their good fortune to their isolation. Other voices point out that the absence of cases is undoubtedly linked to the weakness of the means used for screening.

Comoros

The Comoros archipelago, located in the Indian Ocean between Madagascar and Mozambique, has still not detected any case, according to the Ministry of Health. Dr Abdou Ada, a general practitioner from Moroni, wonders if this is not linked to the mass artemisinin treatment used in the Comoros against malaria.

"I allow myself to believe that the mass antimalarial treatment explains the fact that the Comoros are, for the moment at least, spared by the Covid-19. It is a personal conviction that must be scientifically confirmed, ” he said.

Lesotho

Lesotho entered a 25-day national confinement period on Monday, although it has yet to report any positive cases. The small kingdom of southern Africa of just over 2 million inhabitants had until last week neither a test, nor a screening center ...

He received his first kits on March 26 thanks to Chinese billionaire Jack Ma. Authorities have reported 8 suspected cases. The first results are expected very soon.

Malawi

The government of Malawi assures that if it has not registered any cases, it is not because it is unable to carry out tests. "We have tests and we are testing," said Department of Health spokesman Joshua Malango. Doctor Bridget Malewezi told AFP that even if the country is "not 100% ready" , it is preparing for the arrival of the virus, which it considers inevitable. "Most people think it will happen here at some point or another," she said.

Malawi asked people arriving from outside to quarantine themselves, which Ms. Malwezi said helped the country "protect itself" .

Sao Tome and Principe

The Sao Tome and Principe archipelago, in the Atlantic Ocean, has not identified any case, simply because it is not able to conduct tests, said the representative of the World Organization for Health (WHO) in the country, Anne Ancia. However, "we are continuing our preparations," added Ms. Ancia, adding that around 100 people returning from sensitive countries had been placed in quarantine.

With only four beds in intensive care for a population of 200,000, the country must absolutely prevent the virus from spreading. It has already closed its borders, despite the importance of tourism for the local economy.

South Sudan

According to Dr Angok Gordon Kuol, one of the coronavirus officials in the Ministry of Health, if the country has not registered any case, it is because it has "not a lot of air traffic" . But the authorities are concerned about the number of foreign aid workers working in the country and have been able to return there in recent weeks.

South Sudan is also surrounded by countries affected by the virus and is unable to seal its borders tightly. People "can cross those borders and we expect to have cases," said Gordon.

In one of the poorest countries in the world, which is struggling to emerge from a civil war that started in December 2013, the government does not hide missing almost everything. Gordon estimates the country is capable of testing up to 500 people. The country has closed schools and banned sporting, religious and political events, as well as weddings and funerals. It also suspended international flights and non-essential businesses were closed.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2020-03-31

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