WHO Calls Global Emergency on Coronavirus: BBC

The World Health Organization declared a global emergency on the new coronavirus. “The concern is that it could spread to countries with weaker health systems,” reports BBC News. Low-income nations lack public health personnel and resources to identify and contain the fast-spreading virus. Public health officials identified the disease in Wuhan, China, in early January, and it quickly spread. More than 10,000 cases with more than 200 deaths are reported in China. WHO suggests there are about 100 cases in 18 countries. However, the symptoms are similar to those of the common cold and some patients do not show symptoms, so public officials expect cases to be underestimated. “Most international cases are in people who had been to Wuhan in Hubei,” BBC reports. “However in eight cases - in Germany, Japan, Vietnam and the United States - patients were infected by people who had travelled to China.” Some countries including the United States and Russia advise citizens not to travel to China. WHO has praised China’s handling of the outbreak and said limiting trade or travel to China is unnecessary. – YaleGlobal