Africa, relatively affected by the coronavirus, is in a race against the clock to break the chains of transmission of this deadly virus.
The sad fate of Italy, which has been fully quarantined, speaks volumes about the destabilizing power of Covid-19. This disease, which broke out in Wuhan, China, brought this European country to its knees in a hurry.
“The worst-case scenario is that we have hundreds of cases,” admitted Aloyse Diouf, the chief of staff of the Senegalese Minister of Health and Social Action. To avoid reaching this critical stage, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) advocated “robust surveillance to find, isolate, test and treat each case, in order to break the chains of transmission.”
While this instruction is addressed to the whole world, it is particularly relevant in Africa, where not all countries have the necessary equipment to carry out reliable coronavirus testing.
Moreover, a section of the African population has not yet realised the seriousness of the situation. On his Twitter account, Senegalese President Macky Sall, whose country has eight cases, called on his compatriots “to strictly respect the instructions of the health and security services to prevent the spread of the disease.”
To facilitate the early detection of cases, Dr Diouf recommends going to the nearest health facility “when you have headaches, fever or aches and pains.”
The panic, especially in developed countries, suggests that Africa has a vested interest in containing Covid-19. Beyond the virus, fear has spread like wildfire across the planet. It does not even spare Australia or even the United States.
This is materialised by draconian measures such as closing borders, banning nationals from travelling to contaminated areas, prohibiting entry for passengers coming from or having transited through one or more contaminated areas.
Some African countries, fearing a blow to their economies, are prevaricating as to the strategy to be adopted. “Currently, Senegal is registering imported cases. But they can turn into community cases. It would be necessary to limit the arrival of populations from risk areas,” said Dr Amadou Yéri Camara, the General Secretary of the Autonomous Union of Doctors of Senegal.
In any case, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Madagascar, Mauritius, the Comoros and the Seychelles were quick to apply restrictions on movement. A total of twelve African countries are currently affected by the pandemic: Egypt (67 cases), Algeria (24 cases), South Africa (17 cases), Tunisia (7 cases), Morocco (6 cases), Senegal (8 cases), Cameroon (2 cases), Burkina Faso (2 cases), Nigeria (2 cases), Togo (1 case), Democratic Republic of Congo (1 case) and Cote d’Ivoire (1 case).
ID/te/lb/abj/APA