WHO Declares Global Health Emergency Over Wuhan Coronavirus Outbreak

reports on Thursday, the WHO declared the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak “a public health emergency of international concern,” a decision that acknowledges that “the disease now represents a risk beyond China, where it emerged last month.” Last week, the WHO declined to make such a declaration, but WHO officials said that since then thousands of new cases have been reported in China and there is clear evidence of human-to-human transmission in multiple countries. The article says that the declaration “does not have the force of law. But it serves notice to all United Nations member states that the world’s top health advisory body thinks the situation is grave.” The article adds that such declarations can aid efforts to raise funding, but currently “the countries most affected – China, Japan, Germany, South Korea, the United States and Vietnam – can afford to wage their own battles against the virus.” https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/30/health/coronavirus-world-health-organization.html