Well, NPR is an American organization, so it's not really surprising that they're writing it with an eye towards their primary demographic (Americans, and to a lesser extent, Europeans) .
> Are other African countries somehow doomed?
It would certainly be interesting to look at the likelihood of propagation in Africa, and hopefully someone does that. But I'd be surprised to see that from a news organization with a primarily American audience. Also, I didn't see anything in the article implying anything about further spread in Africa.