The male passenger whose identity was not made known had developed the virus’ symptoms while on board the airline and was immediately rushed to the Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya, on Tuesday morning.
The much dreaded Coronavirus, which broke out in China few weeks ago, may have finally landed in Africa with the quarantining of a patient from Guangzhou, China, aboard Kenya Airways.
The male passenger whose identity was not made known had developed the virus’ symptoms while on board the airline and was immediately rushed to the Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya, on Tuesday morning.
It was gathered that on arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the passenger was instantly isolated from others.
It was learnt that the passenger had been cleared to travel by the China Port health authorities at the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport after quarantine screening by the health authorities but developed the symptoms few hours into the flight.
A statement by Kenya Airways revealed that the decision to quarantine the passenger was reached by the Kenya Port Health authorities stationed at the airport.
In Nigeria, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and other authorities said they had put plans in place to curb the spread of the communicable disease in the country especially with the population and activities of Chinese nationals in Nigeria.
Recall that the NCAA had last week warned airlines on regional and international operations to be wary of importing human remains into Nigeria following the spread of the disease to Europe and America.
NCAA cautioned that before any airline could bring in dead bodies into Nigeria, such a carrier must first contact the Port Health Services at all international gateways for clearance.
The World Health Organisation reports that Coronavirus is spread from an infected person to another through the air by coughing and sneezing.
It is also spreads through close personal contact such as touching or shaking hands, touching an object or surface with the virus on it, touching your mouth, nose or eyes before washing your hands.