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Senegal, Tunisia Confirm Coronavirus Cases

The first case in sub-Saharan African was recorded last week in Nigeria, after an Italian national returned with the virus from his home country.

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Senegal and Tunisia confirmed their first cases of Coronavirus on Monday, bringing to four the number of African countries where the virus has been detected. 

The first case in sub-Saharan African was recorded last week in Nigeria, after an Italian national returned with the virus from his home country.

Italy has emerged as the European hotspot for the deadly virus, with more than 2,000 cases, while France has reported the third most in Europe, with at least 130.

Before Senegal and Nigeria, the only reported cases in Africa were in Egypt and Algeria.

But experts fear the virus spreading to Africa, which struggles with conflicts, poor health infrastructure, crowded cities with inadequate sanitation, rickety governance and porous borders — all of which provide excellent opportunities for the virus to spread.

The World Health Organisation has urged African countries to come together and be more aggressive in attacking the virus.

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PUBLIC HEALTH