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Tag: CORONA VIRUS

  • Coronavirus: Lagos Govt alerts public, increases preparedness

    Coronavirus: Lagos Govt alerts public, increases preparedness

    The Lagos State Government says no cases of the novel Coronavirus (nCoV) have been identified in Lagos or Nigeria, saying it has increased preparedness against the virus.

    Prof. Akin Abayomi, the State Commissioner for Health, made this known on Thursday in Lagos, saying that the state was ramping up its level of preparedness considering the large commercial trading traffic between Nigeria, China and Thailand.

    Abayomi said in a statement that the virus was currently raging in China and had been reported in some countries of the world including U.S, which had caused no fewer than nine deaths.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that coronaviruses are large family of viruses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

    The common signs and symptoms of the infection include fever, cough, shortness of breath and difficulty in breathing.

    In more severe cases, the infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.

    Abayomi said: “As of Jan. 22, a total of 471 cases have been confirmed in South East Asia and U.S with nine deaths.

    “There is evidence now that the infection is able to spread from person to person.

    “The Lagos State Biosecurity Team, in collaboration with the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) is currently working on building urgent capacity to identify the virus in our Biosecurity facility and isolation wards located at the Mainland Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba in the event of any suspected case arriving in Lagos State.

    “We are in touch with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in Abuja to align our strategies.

    “Importantly, we are also collaborating with the Federal Ports Authority at air, land and sea border posts to elevate screening and surveillance of incoming travellers.”

    The commissioner urged citizens to adopt and practice high standard of personal and environmental hygiene, including regular hand washing, covering of mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing.

    Others are: avoiding close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing, practice good biosecurity precautions with domestic and wild animals as measures against the transmission of any kind of contagious infection, nCoV inclusive.

    He advised citizens travelling from South East Asia or any country where the infection had been reported or who have had contact with travellers from that region and experiencing above outlined symptoms associated with the disease to go to the nearest health facility for immediate assessment and treatment.

    “The Lagos State Government is committed to the health and safety of her citizens and so, there is no cause for panic or alarm.

    “This alert is just to assure you that we are preparing for any eventuality as directed by Mr Governor,” Abayomi said.

  • China says 9 dead, at least 440 infected with new coronavirus

    China says 9 dead, at least 440 infected with new coronavirus

    Nine people have died and hundreds have been infected by a new type of coronavirus, according to Chinese medical authorities.

    Beijing has identified 440 patients carrying the virus across 13 Chinese provinces, said Li Bin, deputy director of the National Health Commission, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

    Elsewhere, the semi-autonomous territory of Macao also confirmed its first case on Wednesday, adding to infections detected in Taiwan, the Philippines, Thailand, Japan and South Korea.

    As with all the cases that have been identified so far outside of China’s borders, the Macao patient had travelled to the central Chinese metropolis of Wuhan, where scientists suspect the virus was initially transmitted from animals to people.

    The U.S. reported its first patient carrying the disease on Tuesday – a U.S. citizen who had visited Wuhan.

    The new coronavirus belongs to the same family of viruses that caused Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), a disease that killed 800 people globally in a 2002-03 pandemic that also started in China.

    Fears about the spread of the disease are growing as millions of people are travelling to their hometowns this week to celebrate the Lunar New Year, which falls on Saturday.

    Face masks were rapidly selling out in major Chinese cities on Wednesday, following Chinese authorities’ announcement earlier in the week that the coronavirus was transmittable from person to person.

    Authorities are asking people to avoid travelling to Wuhan if possible.

    The city on Tuesday imposed travel restrictions and said it had installed infrared thermometers at airports, railway and bus stations and was disinfecting public transport vehicles daily.