admin On Thursday, THE WORLD HEALTH Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
At a press conference in Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the major reason for the decision is because of what is happening in other countries and not what is happening in China.
He added,”Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems and which are ill-prepared to deal with it.”
Last week, the health agency held off on the declaration stating the situation was an emergency in China but not necessarily elsewhere.
This decision is not restricting on trade and movement and the organization recommends accelerating the development of a vaccine.
According to WHO, as of Thursday, roughly 8,000 cases of the virus were confirmed, with nearly 100 of those coming from 18 countries outside of China. And, there are now 7711 confirmed and 12167 suspected cases throughout the China. Of the confirmed cases, 1370 are severe and 170 people have died. 124 people have recovered and been discharged from hospital.
With the number of cases spreading outside China, the Committee agreed that the outbreak now meets the criteria for a PHEIC and proposed the following advice to be issued as Temporary Recommendations.
“It is still possible to interrupt virus spread, provided that countries put in place strong measures to detect disease early, isolate and treat cases, trace contacts, and promote social distancing measures commensurate with the risk,” the WHO statement said. There is also proof that the virus can spread from person to person, with cases confirmed in people in the U.S., Japan, Vietnam and Germany who had not previously traveled to China.
Magazine 
