Cameroon confirms first case of coronavirus

A computer image created by Nexu Science Communication together with Trinity College in Dublin, shows a model structurally representative of a betacoronavirus which is the type of virus linked to COVID-19

DOUALA, Cameroon (Reuters) - Cameroon's health ministry on Friday confirmed its first case of coronavirus, a 58-year-old French citizen who arrived in the capital Yaounde on Feb. 24.

It said the man has been quarantined in the city's Central Hospital. "All measures have been taken by the government to contain potential risks of the virus spreading," it said in a statement.

Cameroon, which is situated in Central Africa, is the fourth sub-Saharan country to report coronavirus after Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa. The total number of cases on the continent is 29.

Since the coronavirus outbreak began in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December, it has infected almost 100,000 people worldwide and killed more than 3,000, mostly in China.

(Reporting by Josiane Kouagheu; Writing by Alessandra Prentice and Juliette Jabkhiro; Editing by Kevin Liffey and John Stonestreet)