Coronavirus: AU disease control outfit rolls out Emergency Ops Center

Africa’s Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention has activated an ‘Emergency Operations Centre’ to manage the deadly Coronavirus from reaching the continent.

Speaking in Addis Ababa on Tuesday, CDC Director Dr John Nkengasong said no confirmed cases of the virus have been reported in Africa.

“So far we have had no reported cases, although there are rumours of unconfirmed cases in several countries,” John Nkengasong, director of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention told the press.

Some countries have very strong surveillance systems, some have weak surveillance systems and others we are working with them to strengthen these systems. This will be a test of how these systems have been strengthened over the years.

He stressed that members states had been seized with doing all it takes to ensure that citizens are protected in all cases. “Surveillance systems are as good as our health systems in the Member States. We all know that we are at very different levels of strength in the Member States.

“Some countries have very strong surveillance systems, some have weak surveillance systems and others we are working with them to strengthen these systems. This will be a test of how these systems have been strengthened over the years.”

Among the millions of people trapped in the city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the epidemic, are thousands of foreigners whose governments are organizing evacuations.