MENA

Lagos, Nigeria(CNN) The head of Nigeria's National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says the country is more than capable of dealing with coronavirus as Africa's most populous nation records its first case. "Nigeria is ready," Chikwe Ihekweazu said. "We successfully managed Ebola and we manage outbreaks all the time and are currently managing Lassa fever. We have a strong team that is used to doing this." An Italian citizen who traveled to Lagos, Nigeria's economic nerve center, became the first confirmed case of coronavirus in sub-Saharan Africa, the country's Health Ministry reported earlier. Chikwe Ihekweazu is the head of Nigeria's National Centre for Disease Control. Ihekweazu told CNN the Italian patient who arrived in the country with the virus is currently stable and "has mild to moderate symptoms." "We are very hopeful for his full recovery," said Ihekweazu, an epidemiologist who was appointed CEO of