WHO declares Coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the Coronavirus as a global health emergency. The Director-General of WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the announcement on Thursday evening. 

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A global emergency 

Speaking at the press conference, Dr. Ghebreyesus said, "There are now 98 2019nCoV cases in 18 countries outside China, including 8 cases of human-to-human transmission in four countries, Germany, Japan, Viet Nam and the United States of America. So far we have not seen any deaths outside China, for which we must all be grateful. Although these numbers are still relatively small compared to the number of cases in, we must all act together now to limit further spread." 

"The vast majority of cases outside China have a travel history to Wuhan, or contact with someone with a travel history to Wuhan. We don’t know what sort of damage this 2019nCoV virus could do if it were to spread in a country with a weaker health system. We must act now to help countries prepare for that possibility. For all of these reasons, I am declaring a public health emergency of international concern over the global outbreak of 2019nCoV," he added.

The Director-General also praised the efforts taken by China to contain the virus. China has reported more than 7,800 cases including 170 deaths. 

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The Director-General clarified that the declaration was because of the spread and the impact on other countries. He said, "Let me be clear: this declaration is not a vote of no confidence in China. On the contrary, WHO continues to have confidence in China’s capacity to control the outbreak..To the people of China & to all of those around the world who have been affected by this outbreak, we want you to know that the stands with you."

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He also said that the WHO was concerned with thew impact the virus would have on countires that are not prepared to deal with the outbreak. "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."

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