The director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Africa rejects Tanzania’s claim that coronavirus tests are wrong.
The head of the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), John Nkengasong, has rejected the Tanzanian president’s assertion that his country’s coronavirus testing equipment is faulty.
“We know that the tests used by Tanzania work very well,” Dr John Nkengasong told reporters in a conference call.
“CDC Africa, along with the Jack Ma Foundation, provided the test kits,” Nkengasong said.
Tanzanian President Dr John Pombe Magufuli said on Sunday that imported coronavirus test kits were defective after giving positive results on a goat and a papaya.
The next day, the head of the national health laboratory responsible for the tests, Nyambura Moremi, was suspended for investigative reasons.
Opposition MP Zitto Kabwe, leader of the Alliance for Change and Transparency, defended Nyambura Moremi.
“Don’t be disappointed by the way politics interferes with technical issues,” he wrote on Twitter. “I hope you have done your work professionally and that you will remain one of Tanzania’s best scientists.
Gerard Rugambwa
