WHO: Too early to declare coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency
(VOVWORLD) - It was a “bit too early” to consider the new coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, the World Health Organization said Thursday after 2 days of meeting in Geneva, Switzerland.
 World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (Photo: Pierre Albouy/Getty Images) |
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said this is an emergency in China, but not yet a global health emergency, and the organization recommends nothing more than travel restrictions.
The WHO's official declaration of a "public health emergency of international concern" is reserved for unusual and serious public health events that have the potential to spread disease worldwide. The designation has been used sparingly in recent years, including during the 2009 H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic, the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, and the Zika virus epidemic in 2015-2016.