WHO Declares Coronavirus Global Health Emergency

THE World Health Organisation has finally declared the novel coronavirus a global health emergency as the China death toll rose to 213 with cases surging up to 9,692 on 30 January.

By Kudakwashe Pembere

The concern is that it could spread to countries with weaker health systems.

“The main reason for this declaration is not what is happening in China but what is happening in other countries,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The WHO said there had been 98 cases in 18 other countries, but no deaths.

Most international cases are in people who had been to the Chinese city of Wuhan in Hubei.

However, there have been eight cases of human-to-human infection – in Germany, Japan, Vietnam and the United States.

Speaking at a news conference in Geneva, Dr Tedros described the virus as an “unprecedented outbreak” that has been met with an “unprecedented response”.

He praised the “extraordinary measures” Chinese authorities had taken, and said there was no reason to limit trade or travel to China.

“Let me be clear, this declaration is not a vote of no confidence in China,” he said.

The move reversed the organization’s decision just a week ago to hold off such a declaration. Since then, there have been thousands of new cases in China and clear evidence of human-to-human transmission in several other countries, including the United States.

All of which warranted a reconsideration by the W.H.O.’s emergency committee, officials said.

The declaration comes now, he said, because of fears that the coronavirus may reach countries with weak health care systems, where it could run amok, potentially infecting millions of people and killing thousands.

World Health Organization representative to Zimbabwe, Dr. Alex Gasasira, speaking  to VOA said  health officials in the country are on high alert over the outbreak of the coronavirus, which has so far killed 106 people in China.

Dr. Gasasira said as long as a country receives travelers, there’s always a risk as some people from the infected areas may travel with or without showing any coronavirus symptoms.

He said Zimbabwe, like other nations, has implemented some important measures to ensure that people from different nations are screened and monitored accordingly once they are in the country.

“So, Zimbabwe like any other country that has a normal travelling public between the country and infected areas. So, WHO has recommended to all countries to implement certain measures to enhance their preparedness. It’s important that any country including Zimbabwe should be able to detect this coronavirus should this be imported into the country. There are standard ways in which once the virus is confirmed in the country the patient must be cared for in a manner that will reduce their chances of infecting others, the health workers should be protected.

“So, surveillance should be intensified so that if any other cases occur these can be detected within the shortest time possible, proper messaging to the population, to the communities, what to do, how to identify symptoms, how to minimize transmission between people, all of this guidance has been shared in countries including Zimbabwe and we are happy that Zimbabwe is already implementing all of these actions, including ensuring that all the travelers who are coming through Zimbabwe enough information is collected from them, where they are coming from.”

Dr. Gasasira said for those people coming from infected areas, their details are noted down.

“So far, none of them has been found to be demonstrating symptoms. The authorities, the health authorities in Zimbabwe know where these travelers are going and they check on them on a daily basis to ensure that they don’t develop symptoms and then give them the right information if they develop the symptoms on what to do.”

He further said the World Health Organization has not yet declared the coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern as independent experts reviewed data and available evidence and then recommended to the WHO director general that the outbreak has not yet reached alarming proportions.

“What happens, how WHO declares a public health emergency of international concern is by convening independent experts, people who are experts in the subject matter to review the evidence, to review the data that may be available and based on that independent review of that evidence they then advise the director general as to whether an event should be declared a public health emergency of international concern or not. The director general then takes these recommendations into consideration and makes a final decision.”

He said a group of independent experts convened a meeting early this month and sometime last week to discuss the coronavirus outbreak.

“They looked at the evidence at that time, their first meeting they did not meet any conclusion. They continued to meet again for the second time and at that time they recommended to the director general that the criteria to declare a public health emergency of international concern had not yet been met. They recognized that the situation in China is very serious. They recognized that the situation in the region in China was serious but at that time the risk for other countries globally did not constitute what would then be a public health emergency of international concern.

“So, that’s what the experts recommended to the director general. The director general accepted the recommendations that the experts gave him and based on that advice did not declare it a public health emergency of international concern. However, the experts together with the director general agreed that as more evidence becomes available he will quickly reconvene these experts.”

Secretary for Health and Child Care Dr Agnes Mahomva said the ministry has stepped up the monitoring process by screening everyone who is coming from infected areas. She said there were no suspected cases of the coronavirus in country yet.

“So far, none of the people who are arriving in Zimbabwe have been found to be demonstrating symptoms.

“The authorities, the health authorities in Zimbabwe know where these travellers are going and they check on them on a daily basis to ensure that they don’t develop symptoms and then give them the right information if they develop the symptoms on what to do,” said Dr Mahomva.

>With reportage from  NY Times, The Herald and VOA

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