Niger has reported its first case of the coronavirus – in a man who returned from Togo via Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso.
The patient was a 36-year-old Niger national who worked for a transport company, the government said on Thursday.
He had travelled to Lome, Accra, Abidjan and Ouagadougou.
The patient was stable and efforts were ongoing to contain the virus, the government added.
Niger becomes the latest country in Africa to confirm it has coronavirus.
Religious leaders in the country have issued a joint statement suspending worship at mosques and churches to prevent the spread of the virus.
President Issoufou Mahamadou urged people to keep calm and to respect preventative measure.
“We have just registered this Thursday March 19, 2020, our 1st clinical case of Coronavirus at Niger. I invite all of my fellow citizens to keep calm. I urge you to respect all preventive measures. Insha’Allah, together we will overcome this ordeal” he tweeted.
Nous venons d'enregistrer ce jeudi 19 Mars 2020, notre 1er cas clinique de #Coronavirus au #Niger. J'invite l'ensemble de mes concitoyens à garder leur calme. Je vous exhorte à respecter toutes les mesures de prévention. Incha Allah, ensemble nous surmonterons cette épreuve. -IM
— Issoufou Mahamadou (@IssoufouMhm) March 19, 2020
Currently there are more than 600 confirmed cases of coronavirus across the continent. Which is low compared to other continents.
Egypt still tops the chart of countries with the most cases in Africa with 210 cases. This is followed by South Africa with 205 and Algeria with 82 confirmed cases.
