Coronavirus: WHO advises countries to prepare for detection as death toll hits 56
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has advised member states to be ready for timely detection and management of any outbreak of the deadly coronavirus as the death toll in China hit 56.
China has confirmed 1, 975 cases of patients infected with the new coronavirus while the death toll from the virus has risen to 56.
The WHO said on its tweeter handle-@WHO that the situation has not changed in China at the regional and global level.
“WHO’s risk assessment of the new coronavirus has not changed. The risk of spreading the infection is very high in China; it is high at the regional level and it is moderate at the global level,’’ the body stated.
The UN health agency said the evolving outbreak that began in China is “a sign that every country needs to be ready to timely detect and manage outbreaks of any type.’’
WHO’s Regional Office for Europe has officially been notified of the first novel coronavirus case in Europe. Three cases have been confirmed in France and WHO is in contact with the relevant authorities.
All of them had travelled from Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus and are now hospitalised in France.
WHO however, commended France for quickly notifying the agency and rapidly issuing a public communication, saying that “it not only exemplified the proper steps forward, but also illustrated an example of global collaboration and solidarity.”
WHO maintained that the first confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Europe were not unexpected.
“They remind us that the global nature of travels exempts no country from infectious disease spread.
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“This also means that no country can afford postponing the establishment of all necessary measures to protect their people,” it stated.
The virus originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in Hubei in 2019 and has spread to Chinese cities including Beijing and Shanghai. It has also spread to the United States, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Australia, France and Canada.
