As the mysterious new coronavirus continues to spread in China and other countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared it a global health emergency.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement, “The main reason for this declaration is not what is happening in China but what is happening in other countries.”
Officials are concerned that the virus could spread to nations with poor healthcare systems.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that a man from Illinois has transmitted the infection to his wife, making it the first known instance of person to person spread in the United States. Public health officials have warned citizens not to travel to China.
In China, the new coronavirus, aka 2019-nCoV, has been reported in more than 10,000 cases and killed 213 people so far. In 18 other countries, there have been 98 cases of the new virus, but no deaths have reported.
In a news conference in Geneva, Dr. Tedros described the new coronavirus as an “unprecedented outbreak” that has been met with an “unprecedented response.” However, he praised the Chinese officials for immediately taking “extraordinary measures.”
He said, “Let me be clear, this declaration is not a vote of no confidence in China.”
However, several countries have started taking steps to close borders and even cancel flights.
As 99 percent of cases have been detected in China, the WHO is convinced that the nation can successfully combat the outbreak.
But declaring a public health emergency, the WHO lends support to lower and middle-income nations so they can strengthen their disease surveillance, get prepared for new cases and implement interventions.
