ADDIS ABABA, March 13 — Ethiopia today announced its first case of the new coronavirus, the second to hit East Africa which had so far been spared from the rapidly spreading illness.

A 48-year-old Japanese man who had arrived in the country on March 4 from Burkina Faso was confirmed to have contracted the virus, the health ministry said.

"He is undergoing medical follow-up and is in a stable condition. Those who have been in contact with this person are being traced and quarantined,” the ministry said in a statement.

Ethiopia becomes the 15th country in Africa with a confirmed case of the virus that has swept the globe, infecting more than 130,000 people and killing nearly 5,000 since it emerged in China in December. — AFP