|
 Fears of a coronavirus pandemic grew after sharp rises in new cases
reported in Iran, Italy and South Korea, although China relaxed
restrictions on movement in several places including Beijing as its
rates of new infections eased.
The Geneva-based WHO declared the 2009 H1N1 swine flu outbreak a
pandemic, which turned out to be mild, leading to some criticism
after pharmaceutical companies rushed development of vaccines and
drugs.
WHO declared the novel coronavirus that emerged in Wuhan, China, in
December a public health emergency of International concern, known
as a PHEIC, on Jan. 30. The designation, which remains in place, was
aimed at helping countries with weaker health systems shore up their
defenses, especially in Africa.
Since then the virus has spread, with more than 77,000 known
infections in China, including 2,445 deaths, and 1,769 cases and 17
deaths in 28 other countries, the latest WHO figures show. South
Korea, Japan and Italy are experiencing large outbreaks.
"There is no official category (for a pandemic)," WHO spokesman
Tarik Jasarevic said.
"For the sake of clarification, WHO does not use the old system of 6
phases — that ranged from phase 1 (no reports of animal influenza
causing human infections) to phase 6 (a pandemic) — that some people
may be familiar with from H1N1 in 2009," he said.
[to top of second column] |
Colloquially, pandemic is used to denote the outbreak of a new
pathogen that spreads easily person-to-person across the globe,
Jasarevic said.
"What we are seeing at the moment are outbreaks and clusters of
cases in multiple countries. Some countries have since stopped
transmission. They must remain alert for the possibility of
reintroduction. There will likely be more cases in more places," he
said.
"Definitions and terminology aside, our advice remains the same, and
we continue working with countries to limit the spread of the virus
while also preparing for the possibility of wider spread," he said.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, said on Friday: "I
would like to assure you we are following this virus 24/7 round the
clock ... As we speak our situation is that we are still in a phase
where containment is possible with a narrowing window of
opportunity."
(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Alex Richardson, Peter
Graff and Giles Elgood)
[© 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2020 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
