Celestine Adhiambo, 43, lives in the Mukuru slum in Nairobi with her husband and six children. The family's one-room house has no running water or electricity. She says her children can't move around much without banging into each other.
"It is not possible for us to separate a child from another in case of any infection. We don't have any space. No rooms here. The government should take the infected people to hospitals," she told the BBC.
Her husband works as a carpenter and on the days he works, he earns about 400 Kenyan Shillings (£3.15, $4) and every day the family spends about 50 shillings on buying 10 buckets of water.
But the water supply is erratic and on days when there is no water, the family has to forgo the quick bath they are accustomed to.
Celestine Adhiambo, 43, lives in the Mukuru slum in Nairobi with her husband and six children. The family's one-room house has no running water or electricity. She says her children can't move around much without banging into each other.
"It is not possible for us to separate a child from another in case of any infection. We don't have any space. No rooms here. The government should take the infected people to hospitals," she told the BBC.
Her husband works as a carpenter and on the days he works, he earns about 400 Kenyan Shillings (£3.15, $4) and every day the family spends about 50 shillings on buying 10 buckets of water.
But the water supply is erratic and on days when there is no water, the family has to forgo the quick bath they are accustomed to.
It's not just slums that are struggling with the availability of water. Johannesburg almost ran out of water last year.
Over half-a-million people live in Mukuru. The houses are made from cardboard or plastic material while those who are better off have houses made from corrugated iron sheets. There is no waste collection, with most of it going directly into the river.
Local NGO Mercy Mukuru runs four primary schools in the area with a total of around 7,000 students. About half of the students cannot afford soap, according to its head, Mary Killeen.
"I am worried. If the virus spreads in our locality it will be terrible," Ms Adhiambo said.
Dr Pierre Mpele, a former WHO representative who has worked in many countries in central and West Africa says African households can be more crowded and in some cases, up to 12 people will share a small house. "Self-quarantine is not possible in many places," he says.
The WHO says it is working to support governments manage their response to the pandemic, but Dr Mpele wants it to come up with a guide which will work in the developing world.
He is also calling for greater efforts to engage with community leaders before a full-blown crisis occurs in Africa.
"The silver lining is the virus is not spreading fast in Africa. Most cases that have been reported came from people who travelled back from China or Europe. We don't know why it is not spreading fast," he said.
The WHO says local transmission - people with no travel history - remains low in the African continent and containment is the most appropriate strategy.
Back in Mukuru, nothing seems to have changed in recent weeks. Ms Adhiambo says she feels defenceless and is doing the only thing she can do.
"I am praying to god to save us and our neighbourhood from this virus," she said.
South Africa has recorded 23 new cases of coronavirus in one day, the highest increase of any 24-hour period since the country confirmed its first case. Of the new cases, four are children aged under five years. The country now has 85 confirmed cases of coronavirus - the highest in sub-Saharan Africa,
Tanzania has announced the closure of all schools as part of measures to curb the spread of coronavirus in the East African nation. They will be shut from Wednesday for 30 days, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said. All public gatherings, including sports events, were also to be suspended, he said.
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