WHO Declares Coronavirus Outbreak a Global Health Emergency

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak of a new coronavirus in China a global health emergency.

The announcement was made by WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, during a press conference in Geneva on Thursday.

The decision followed a meeting of WHO’s emergency committee on the epidemic, which reportedly reached an “almost unanimous” consensus to designate the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

“The main reason for this declaration is not because of what is happening in China, but because of what is happening in other countries,” Tedros stated.

“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.”

He emphasized that the declaration is not a criticism of China’s handling of the outbreak. “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,” Tedros said.

The WHO chief also outlined key recommendations from the emergency committee, including the need to accelerate the development of vaccines and treatments, enhance international collaboration, and combat the spread of misinformation about the virus.

This marks the sixth time the WHO has declared a PHEIC since the designation was introduced 15 years ago.

Previous emergencies included the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, the 2014 West African Ebola outbreak, and the 2016 Zika virus epidemic.

The declaration underscores the global urgency to address the coronavirus outbreak and protect countries with fragile health systems from its potential impact.