Africa CDC to intensify coronavirus detection training in SA

Test kits to detect the virus were already sent to countries like Iran, Cameroon, Egypt, and Uganda.

This photo taken on 4 February 2020 shows a medical staff member (R) taking samples from a person to be tested for the new coronavirus at a quarantine zone in Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, in China's central Hubei province. Picture: AFP

Kevin Brandt | 49 days ago

CAPE TOWN - The African Union’s (AU) Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) will provide additional training on coronavirus detection in South Africa next week.

As part of intensified efforts to fight the outbreak, the World Health Organisation (WHO) provided another shipment of 150,000 test kits to more than 80 laboratories.

• How to track the coronavirus outbreak

Over 1,000 people have died and at least 42,000 were infected since the outbreak was detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December.

Test kits to detect the virus were already sent to countries like Iran, Cameroon, Egypt, and Uganda.

WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus said the African CDC last week trained 12 countries in Senegal making use of test kits provided by the global health body.

“Further training will take place in South Africa next week. The WHO will continue to work with all the countries to detect rapidly new cases of the coronavirus and to save lives,” Ghebreyesus said.

Across the globe, the WHO identified 168 laboratories with the right technology to diagnose the coronavirus.

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Africa CDC to intensify coronavirus detection training in SA

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