According to the director of WHO's emergency operations programme in Africa, Michel Yao, quoted by the Associated Press, Angola is part of a group of top priority countries, given the direct flights from or with visitors to China, where thousands of people have been affected.
Besides Angola, South Africa, Algeria, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mauritius, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRCongo), Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia are part of this list, which Yao says are "countries with weaker health systems, which are poorly prepared to deal" with the new coronavirus.
According to the WHO official, the entry of the new virus into Africa "may overwhelm the health systems" on this continent.
Michel Yao added that over the next few days at least 20 countries will be receiving the necessary reagent to test samples of possible cases infected with the virus.
The director of the WHO's emergency operations programme in Africa also advocated precautionary measures at a time when outbreaks of Ebola and measles are affecting the DRCongo.
"If it turns out to be a mild virus, it's fine. If it's dangerous and you let it decimate people, then you have failed public health," Yao said.
China has raised the death toll to 213 and nearly 10,000 infected from the outbreak of pneumonia caused by a new coronavirus detected at the end of the year in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province (center).
