Health Minister confirms first case of Coronavirus in Nigeria

The Federal Ministry of Health has confirmed the first case of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Nigeria.



Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, confirmed the case in a statement issued in the early hours of today, February 28, 2020.

According to the statement, the case involves an Italian citizen who works in Nigeria and just returned from Milan, Italy on the 25th of February 2020.

He was confirmed to be positive by the Virology Laboratory of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, part of the Laboratory Network of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

The ministry, however, noted that the patient is clinically stable, with no serious symptoms, and is being managed at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba, Lagos.

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 @WHO @BBCWorld #CoronaVirusUpdates pic.twitter.com/uF79NYzvAz

— Federal Ministry of Health, NIGERIA (@Fmohnigeria) February 27, 2020