A Cameroonian student studying in China is the first African known to have contracted the deadly coronavirus.
The 21 year old student contracted the disease whiles visiting the city of Wuhan in China’s Hubei province.
Wuhan is the epicentre of the outbreak which has affected thousands within and outside China so far.
From Wuhan, he returned to his residence in Jingzhou before a lockdown was imposed in Wuhan to prevent the spread of the disease which has so far killed over 200 people.
A statement from the Yangtze University said the student is being treated in hospital in southern Jingzhou city.
“The university has provided psychological comfort to the student and has reported the situation to his parents and the embassy.”
“At present, the student is actively cooperating with the treatment in the hospital. His body temperature has been normal for two consecutive days.
He has good spirit and a healthy appetite and his vital organs are stable,” the statement added.
The hundreds of African students caught in the Wuhan lockdown are demanding their evacuation from the city.
The spread of the virus however continues with China reporting another major spike in both confirmed cases and deaths.
The total number of confirmed cases in China stands at 20,438 as of Tuesday, including a 1-month-old baby in southwestern Guizhou province.
The death toll is now at 425 in China, an increase of around 65 from Sunday.
The World Health Organization has already declared Coronavirus a global emergency as outbreak continues to spread outside China.
Victims often suffer from respiratory illness and this new strain of coronavirus was not previously identified in humans.
Source: Africafeeds.com
