BREAKING: Nigeria Center for Disease Control confirm first case of Coronavirus

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) confirmed Nigeria’s first case of coronavirus (COVID-19) on February 28, 2020, raising concerns over the spread of the virus into the country.

According to the Federal Ministry of Health, the index case involved an Italian citizen who arrived in Lagos from Milan, Italy, on February 25, 2020, for a business trip. The patient later developed symptoms and tested positive for the virus at the Virology Laboratory of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital.

Health authorities said the patient was clinically stable and was immediately isolated for treatment at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba, Lagos. The NCDC also activated its national Emergency Operations Centre and began contact tracing efforts to prevent further spread of the disease.

The agency assured Nigerians that measures had already been put in place to strengthen surveillance at airports and improve preparedness across the country. Citizens were also advised to maintain proper hygiene and report symptoms linked to the virus.

The confirmation marked Nigeria’s first recorded case of COVID-19 since the outbreak began in China in late 2019.

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