The first detected case of coronavirus in Africa highlights the vulnerability of the world's poorest continent to outbreaks of contagious diseases.
A 2016 analysis by the Rand Corporation, a US thinktank, found that of the 25 countries in the world that are most vulnerable to infectious outbreaks, 22 are in Africa - the others are Afghanistan, Yemen and Haiti.
"Were a communicable disease to emerge within this chain of countries, it could easily spread across borders in all directions, abetted by high overall vulnerability and a string of weak national health systems along the way," the report warned. Trudie Lang, director of the Global Health Network at Oxford University, said a major concern was that the virus, despite its relatively low mortality rate, could"overwhelm health-care provision" in African countries.
In a study of anti-coronavirus preparedness in Africa on Feb 19, The Lancet medical journal said that overall, countries had strengthened their shield. Medical workers disinfect the coffin of an Ebola victim in Beni, eastern DR Congo. Even though an Ebola vaccine is available, conflict is hampering the region's 18-month epidemic, making it harder to trace and isolate patients.
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