WHO Declares 2019nCoV Outbreak In China As “Global Health Emergency”
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak of novel coronavirus (2019nCoV) in China as a ‘global health emergency’ for international concern. The Director-General of International Committee of Health Regulations (ICHR) has declared that the outbreak of 2019-nCoV constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
According to the reports available, the confirmed 2019nCoV cases abroad are Thailand (14), Singapore (10), Australia (5), USA (5), Japan (8), south Korea (4), Malaysia (7), France (4), Vietnam (2) Canada (2), Nepal (1), Cambodia (1), Sri Lanka (1) Germany (4), UAE (4), Hong Kong (10), Macao (7), Taiwan (8), Finland (1), Angola (1) and India (1), total of 21 countries.
WHO tweeted: “The main reason for this declaration is not because of what is happening in China, but because of what is happening in other countries. Also, our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to countries with weaker health systems, and which are ill-prepared to deal with.”
Read more: Coronavirus Outbreak: WHO South-East Asia Urges Countries To Stay Vigilant And Prepared
“We don’t know what sort of damage this virus could do if it were to spread in a country with a weaker health system. We must 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.”
Till Thursday, there were about 7711 confirmed and 12167 suspected cases throughout China. Of the confirmed cases, 1370 are severe and 170 people have died. 124 people have recovered and been discharged from hospital.
On 30 January, the government of India announced that one positive case of novel coronavirus patient, of a student studying the Wuhan university, has been reported in Kerala. The patient was tested positive for Novel Coronavirus and kept in isolation in the hospital. Indian government has also appealed to the people to refrain from travelling to China.
Since last two weeks, the union ministry of civil aviation has been conducting the thermal health screening of passengers arriving from China including Hong Kong to 21 airports in India.
A novel coronavirus is a new strain of coronavirus that has not been previously identified in humans. Common signs of infection include fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.
