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Add to Preferred SourcesA slight drop overnight in the number of people infected by the new coronavirus is welcome but “nothing to celebrate”, a top UN health official said.
Dr. Michael Ryan, head of the World Health Organization’s Health Emergencies Programme, was speaking in Geneva after confirmation that there are now 28,060 confirmed cases of infection in China and 564 deaths – with 225 cases in 24 other countries, where one death has been recorded, in the Philippines.
“Although we are pleased that the numbers from today are the first day in which the overall numbers of confirmed cases reported from China have dropped, and so we are thankful, and I’m sure our colleagues on the frontline in China are thankful too”, he said.
“But it is very difficult to make any prediction relating to that. We are still in the middle of an intense outbreak and we need to be very careful on making any predictions.”
Echoing caution about the respiratory disease (2019-nCoV) which was declared on 31 December in Wuhan city in central China, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reiterated that relatively little was known about the new virus, beyond the fact that it is most dangerous to the elderly and those with underlying health conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension.
People should continue to practise basic hygiene measures, he said, particularly washing their hands regularly and sneezing or coughing into the crook of their arm, if necessary.
Although the genetic blueprint of the virus has been completed, there is no vaccination to prevent infection and no therapeutics to treat them, the WHO head told journalists.
In a bid to understand more about the epidemic, the UN agency is convening a global research and innovation forum at its headquarters in the Swiss city on 11 and 12 February.
“Understanding the disease, its reservoirs, transmission and clinical severity and then developing effective counter-measures is critical for the control of the outbreak, to reduce deaths and minimize the economic impact,” said Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, WHO Chief Scientist.
This will also fast-track the development and evaluation of effective diagnostic tests, vaccines and medicines while establishing mechanisms for affordable access to vulnerable populations and facilitating community engagement.
Original source: UN News
Published on 06 February 2020