Global Health Experts have warned of dire consequences for Africa as the coronavirus spreads to some parts of the continent.
According to them, the first detected case of coronavirus in Africa highlights the vulnerability of the world’s poorest continent to outbreaks of contagious diseases.
Much of Africa struggles with conflicts, poor health infrastructure, crowded cities with inadequate sanitation, rickety governance and porous borders – all of which provide excellent opportunities for the microbe to spread.
Director of the Global Health Network at Oxford University, Trudie Lang said a major concern was that the virus, despite its relatively low mortality rate, could “overwhelm health-care provision” in African countries.
She told Britain’s Science Media Centre (SMC) that there is “real fear that health systems would become swamped and unable to manage their ongoing health care, thereby presenting an even greater threat than the virus.
