Senegal’s Health and Social Action minister, Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr, on Monday evening, confirmed the presence of the first case of coronavirus (covid-19) in the country.
According to the minister, the victim is a French expatriate who returned to Senegal on February 26 after a stay in his country of origin.
He is currently under quarantine at the Infectious and Tropical Diseases Treatment Center of the Fann Hospital, Mr. Sarr said.
All the provisions for a better surveillance and care of the patient, his two daughters and his wife have been put under observation, the minister added.
The coronavirus (covid-19), outbreak which appeared in December 2019, in the central Chinese province of Wuhan, has already caused more than 3,000 deaths out of the 89,197 confirmed cases in 30 countries around the world.
So far, there is no effective treatment for this very contagious disease.
According to Tedros Adhanom, Director of the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 20 vaccines are being developed while therapeutic products are in clinical trials.
ARD/cgd/fss/as/APA