"The Federal Ministry of Health has confirmed a coronavirus(Covid-19) case in Lagos State Nigeria. The case which was confirmed on 27/02/2020 is the first case to be reported in Nigeria since the beginning of the outbreak in China in January 2020," the ministry said on Twitter.
According to Nigerian Health Minister Osagie Ehanire, the patient is an Italian national who works in Nigeria. He returned from Milan to Lagos on 25 February. Italy, particularly its northern regions,, is currently experiencing the worst outbreak of the disease in Europe, having already registered over 500 cases of infection.
"The patient is clinically stable, with no serious symptoms, and is being managed at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba, Lagos," the ministry added.
Nigeria is the third African state after Algeria and Egypt to have detected COVID-19 on its soil.
Since late December 2019, when COVID-19 was first discovered in China, the disease has spread to over 40 countries. More than 83,300 people have been diagnosed with the illness, of whom over 2,800 people have died and over one-third have recovered.
