Coronavirus May Spare Africa – No Thanks to its Leaders

As the deadly Wuhan coronavirus spreads around the world, one continent is suspiciously absent from the statistics: Africa. It, along with South America, has recorded zero cases of the new disease despite its increasingly intimate links with China.

Africa may have lucked out this time. The continent’s warm and humid climate makes it harder to spread the winter-loving coronavirus. Healthcare infrastructure left over from the Ebola outbreak will help authorities contain any cases that do arise. But the coronavirus should serve as a wake-up call to Africa’s leaders.

Thankfully, the world doesn’t have to rely on people like Kenyatta or Buhari to prevent the spread of coronavirus into Africa and the rest of the world. The weather may do a better job than they ever could. According to research, respiratory illnesses like the coronavirus have a hard time spreading in hot and humid weather.

Studies showed that the “regular” coronavirus (which is one of the causes of the common cold) can survive on surfaces 30 times longer in places with a temperature of 6 degrees Celsius compared to those where the temperature is 20 degrees Celsius and humidity levels are high

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It is 2020 and there is no excuse for an entire continent to be largely unprepared for modern challenges. People like Muhammadi Buhari and Uhuru Kenyatta put the whole world in danger by not developing their healthcare systems to modern standards. While this is easier said than done for developing nations, hopefully they can address the problems before the next outbreak hits.

culled from https://www.ccn.com/africa-may-be-spared-from-coronavirus-no-thanks-to-its-leaders/