When Senou, a 21-year-old Cameroon student in Jingzhou City, Hubei Province, was infected with the corona virus, he had no intention of leaving though he could.

"No matter what happens, I don't want to bring the disease back to Africa," Kem Senou Pavel Daryl said at the university dorm in Jingzhou, where Senou is being isolated 14 days after being healed. corona virus.

At the onset of fever, dry cough, and flu-like symptoms, Senou thought of childhood malaria in Cameroon. He feared something worse would happen. "When I first went to the hospital, I thought about death and how it happened," Senou said.

He then spent 13 days in isolation at a hospital in Jingzhou using antibiotics and drugs specifically for HIV patients. After two weeks of care, he showed signs of recovery. A CT scan of the chest showed no sign of the virus.

He became the first African to get nCoV and also the first to recover. All Senou treatment costs are funded by the Chinese government.

Egypt is the first country in Africa to report a case of corona virus infection. Health experts warn countries on the continent with poor health systems that it may be difficult to cope with the risk of an outbreak. The Covid-19 epidemic has left more than 1,600 people dead and nearly 70,000 infected in China.

"I don't want to go home before completing my studies. I think there is no need to go back to my hometown because all the fees are paid by the Chinese government," said Senou.

Since late January, many governments around the world, led by the United States, have welcomed citizens from Wuhan and neighboring cities. But thousands of African students, workers and families are still stuck in the Hubei province, and many think their government should do more to help citizens.

"We are Africans but the government there is not willing to come to the rescue when we need them most," said Tisiliyani Salima, a student at Tongji Medical University and president of Zmabia's student council in Wuhan. .

Samila had to quarantine for almost a month. The 24-year-old student gradually lost her sense of time when she could only sleep and surf social networks all day. She acts as a bridge between the embassy and 186 isolated Zambian students in Wuhan. Many fear the lack of food, supplies or information in Wuhan, where an average of 100 people die each day.

She has seen many of her international classmates being taken out of the city, while her countrymen remain. "Most African countries in the south of the Sahara responded similarly. They either openly or implicitly admitted that China could handle the current situation, but it was out of control. from African countries they don't want to offend China. We have no bargaining power, "the student said.

China is Africa's largest trading partner, and the relationship has flourished in recent years. Accordingly, about 80,000 African students went to China to study in China, many of whom enjoyed Beijing-sponsored scholarships. But many community leaders said Africans trapped in Hubei province received little support from their government.

"A lot of people say 'Don't bring us home because Nigeria can't handle this.' Nigeria is stuck here but it seems that we are not the top priority. We do not receive any feedback from the government, "said Angela, a newly graduated Nigerian student.

Last week, for the first time after 22 days of isolation, Angela ventured out of the house to buy supplies when supplies ran out. "This place is like a ghost town. When I left the apartment complex, I didn't even know if I could go back. People had to measure their body temperature outside the gate," Angela said by phone.

On January 30, the Cameroon international student community in China wrote an open letter to the president calling on the government to remove citizens from the epidemic center. Dr. Pisso Scott Nseke, leader of Cameroon's international student community in Wuhan, said weeks had passed and they were still waiting for an answer. He acknowledged that there was some opposition in the community to bringing citizens back home, but said they were disappointed by the lack of support from the government.

By mid-February, Egypt, Algeria, Mauritius, Morocco and the Seychelles welcomed citizens leaving Hubei province. Other countries like Ghana and Kenya are considering this plan.

Several countries have sent financial aid to citizens. According to the head of the Ivory Coast student union in Wuhan, 77 countries here have received $ 380 in support after weeks of negotiations with the government. But many are increasingly frustrated with the government's position.

Ghana has also sent financial assistance to people stranded in Wuhan. "It's not safe here. We only stay because the city has better health infrastructure. We feel abandoned. The Chinese are clearly angry when the US evacuated citizens." , because they think it causes panic, "an anonymous student shared.

Some are calling on African countries to develop a continent-wide strategy to help citizens in China. "The decision to move people out of here is not a matter of showing solidarity with China or not. It is the responsibility of each nation to ultimately take care of its citizens' health wherever they are, in there is China, "said Hannah Ryder of Development Reimagined, an international development consulting firm based in Beijing.

As for Senoua, he has no plans to return to Cameroon. "It is a dangerous and bad idea. Psychological and emotional fear is what I find most worrying about this virus. Going home is not an option at the moment," Senoua said.