Four suspected cases of corona virus in Ethiopia have tested negative, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health disclosed on Friday.
“The test results of the 4 suspected cases sent to South Africa have become negative for the virus,” said Lia Tadesse, State Minister of Health.
As part of the efforts to prevent the virus, the country has started screening of passengers for the virus at the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport.
Individual temperature measurement and form filling for passengers from China and other ten affected countries are being conducted at the airport.
Meanwhile, the new corona virus has been declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO), as the outbreak continues to spread outside China.
“The main reason for this declaration is not what is happening in China but what is happening in other countries,” said WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom.
The concern is that it could spread to countries with weaker health systems.
At least 213 people have died in China – mostly in Hubei province where the virus emerged – with almost 10,000 cases nationally.
The WHO said there had been 98 cases in 18 other countries, but no deaths.
Most international cases are in people who had been to the Chinese city of Wuhan in Hubei.
However, there have been eight cases of human-to-human infection – in Germany, Japan, Vietnam and the United States.
MG/abj/APA