The West African Health Organisation (WAHO) says the West African region is in need of $50 million to strengthen the capacity of member states, especially weak countries that lacked capacity to diagnose or contain Coranavirus (Covid-19).
Prof. Stanley Okolo, Director-General of WAHO, made this known to newsmen on Monday, February 17, 2020 in Abuja, while delivering the outcome from an emergency meeting held in Bamako, Mali.
Okolo said that only about six of 15 countries in the region have capacity to diagnose and contain the virus.
He explained that the needed funding would be used to boost capacity of weak countries and purchase reagents, among others.
The director-general listed countries with capacity to diagnose or contain Coranavirus to include: Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Cote d’ivoire.
Others are Ghana, Sierra Leone and Senegal with each country having at least one suspected cases that tested negative.
On rumours that Covid-19 could not survive in tropical environments, the director-general said research was still ongoing to ascertain if it was true.
