The Ministry of Health hereby informs the General public that the first case of Covid-19 diagnosed in The Gambia has improved remarkably and will be discharged soon if the second consecutive laboratory test is negative. Since the diagnosis of the first case 9 suspected cases have undergone testing and one has tested positive today.
This is the second confirmed case in The Gambia. This case, a 70 year old Bangladeshi man, who came to the Gambia from Senegal on the 13th March 2020 as a preacher. He was resident at the ‘Markass Centre’ in Bundung where he engaged in preaching and interacted with a number of people.
He was said to have travelled from 6 other countries where he was carrying out similar preaching. He was a known diabetic who presented at a health facility in Diabetic Keto Acidosis. He was later referred to Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital and he unfortunately passed away in the ambulance before arrival on the 20th March, 2020.
Active contact tracing is already ongoing and we urged all people who interacted with the said person to call 1025 for further advice.
The foreign ministry is already informed and the message will be extended to other countries as well for contact tracing.
The general public is urged to take covid-19 very seriously because this is a disease that is highly contagious and we have all seen what is happening in other countries.
The general Public is requested to strongly adhere to the advice and press release of the government.
Furthermore the ministry of health wishes to inform the general public that currently there are 124 people on quarantine at various locations. Seventeen absconded from the quarantine locations thereby posing a great risk to their families and the general public. These individuals are instructed to report back to the quarantine sites immediately , failure to do so will lead to enforcement of the law which may include arresting them.
Hon. Dr. Ahmadou Lamin Samateh
Minister of Health.
This is the second confirmed case in The Gambia. This case, a 70 year old Bangladeshi man, who came to the Gambia from Senegal on the 13th March 2020 as a preacher. He was resident at the ‘Markass Centre’ in Bundung where he engaged in preaching and interacted with a number of people.
He was said to have travelled from 6 other countries where he was carrying out similar preaching. He was a known diabetic who presented at a health facility in Diabetic Keto Acidosis. He was later referred to Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital and he unfortunately passed away in the ambulance before arrival on the 20th March, 2020.
Active contact tracing is already ongoing and we urged all people who interacted with the said person to call 1025 for further advice.
The foreign ministry is already informed and the message will be extended to other countries as well for contact tracing.
The general public is urged to take covid-19 very seriously because this is a disease that is highly contagious and we have all seen what is happening in other countries.
The general Public is requested to strongly adhere to the advice and press release of the government.
Furthermore the ministry of health wishes to inform the general public that currently there are 124 people on quarantine at various locations. Seventeen absconded from the quarantine locations thereby posing a great risk to their families and the general public. These individuals are instructed to report back to the quarantine sites immediately , failure to do so will lead to enforcement of the law which may include arresting them.
Hon. Dr. Ahmadou Lamin Samateh
Minister of Health.