This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
WHO: Coronavirus outbreak a global public health emergency
An emergency committee convened by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, MSc, met for the third time today to review the ongoing coronavirus outbreak centered in China and declared that it meets the criteria of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, or PHEIC.
“The main reason is not because of what is happening in China but because of what is happening in other countries,” Tedros said after declaring the PHEIC. “Our greatest concern is the potential of the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems, ill prepared to deal with it.”
He said the declaration is not a vote of “no confidence” in China. Instead, for the second day in a row, Tedros and other WHO leaders praised China’s response to the outbreak.
“In many ways China is setting a new standard for outbreak response, and that is not an exaggeration,” Tedros said.
The announcement of a PHEIC came shortly after the CDC reported the first case of human-to-human transmission of the coronavirus in the United States. According to Illinois health officials, a man in his 60s with underlying health issues contracted the virus from his wife, a Chicago woman who last week became the country’s second patient with coronavirus. Health officials said the man did not travel to China, as his wife had done. She was symptomatic when she transmitted the virus to him.
CDC Director Robert R. Redfield, MD, called the announcement “not unexpected.”
“We understand that this is concerning but based on what we know now ... the immediate risk to the U.S. is low,” he said during a briefing. “Our goal in the ongoing U.S. public health response is to contain the outbreak and prevent sustained spread. This is why our response has been aggressive.”
Tedros convened the emergency committee for the first time on Jan. 22, following a dramatic increase in the case count in China, reports of international cases and reports of human-to-human transmission. The committee was split on a decision at the time and agreed to meet the next day, ultimately deciding the outbreak did not meet the criteria for a PHEIC.
China reported more than 7,700 cases as of Wednesday, including 170 deaths. There were more than 12,000 additional suspected cases. Tedros said there are 98 reported cases in 18 countries outside of China. In addition to the U.S., three other countries outside of China — Germany, Japan and Vietnam — have reported limited human-to-human transmission. Evidence published in The New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday indicates that human-to-human transmission has been ongoing in China since mid-December.
Tedros said the limited spread of the virus in other countries can be attributed to a stout Chinese response.
“If strong measures were not taken in China, this would not have happened,” he said.
The CDC elevated its travel warning to the highest level on Monday, recommending against all nonessential travel to China. Among other precautions, the U.S. — where there are now six confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus and more than 100 patients remain under observation — has instituted heightened health screenings among travelers from China in 20 airports.
WHO recommended that countries not institute travel or trade bans with China over the outbreak.
“To the people of China and all those around the world affected by this outbreak — the world stands with you,” Tedros said. “We are working diligently ... to bring this outbreak under control as fast as possible.”- by Caitlyn Stulpin
Disclosures: Redfield and Tedros report no relevant financial disclosures.