WHO declared Coronavirus as Public health Emergency-RSTV-31-01-2020

News:

• The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Thursday declared the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) as the outbreak continues to spread outside Wuhan, China, the epicentre of the virus.

Key highlights:

• The decision was taken in the second consecutive meeting of the Emergency Committee convened by the WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus under the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) regarding the outbreak of coronavirus in China with exportations to other countries.

• The declaration serves notice to all United Nations member states that the world’s top health advisory body thinks the situation is “serious”.

• With this, the respective countries can take their own decisions if they want to close their borders, cancel flights, screen people arriving at airports or take other protective measures.

• There had been 98 cases in 18 countries outside of the country, but no deaths. Most cases have emerged in people who have travelled from the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the outbreak began.

• However, there have been eight cases of human-to-human infection – in Germany, Japan, Vietnam and the United States.