Good evening, to you who are in the room and to all those who are online.
I want to thank again the Dr Houssin, who expertly led the very complex proceedings of the Emergency Committee. I would also like to thank all the members of the Committee for their dedication and expertise.
I am not declaring a public health emergency of international concern today.
Like yesterday, the Emergency Committee was divided over whether the outbreak of the new coronavirus was a public health emergency of international concern.
Do not be mistaken. It is an emergency in China but not yet a global health emergency.
The WHO estimates that this outbreak represents a very high risk in China and a high risk regionally and globally.
To date, 584 cases, including 17 fatal, have been reported to WHO. 575 of these cases and all deaths have been reported in China, while the rest have been reported in the United States of America, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam. We are aware of suspected cases reported by the media in other countries, but these cases are still under investigation.
I’ll tell you what we know.
We know that this virus can cause severe symptoms and lead to death, although in most people the symptoms are milder.
We know that a quarter of infected patients have developed severe manifestations.
We know that most of the people who died had underlying conditions (high blood pressure, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease) that weakened their immune systems.
We know that there is human-to-human transmission in China, but such transmission appears to be limited to family groups and health workers who have cared for infected patients for the time being.
To date, there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission outside of China, but this does not mean that this possibility is ruled out.
We still ignore many things. We do not know the source of this virus, we do not know how easily the virus is transmitted and we do not know precisely the clinical picture or the severity of the infection.
WHO is working day and night with partners in China and other affected countries, regionally and here at headquarters to address this knowledge gap as quickly as possible.
There will likely be new cases in other parts of China and in other countries.
China has taken steps it deems appropriate to stem the spread of the coronavirus in Wuhan and other cities.
We hope that these measures will be effective and applied for a short time.
At this time WHO does not recommend a general travel and trade restriction.
We recommend screening at the airport exit as part of overall containment measures.
All countries should have measures in place to detect cases of coronavirus infection, including in health facilities.
The Committee made several recommendations to prevent the virus from continuing to spread, which the President has outlined and which I have accepted.
We can all take a few simple steps to protect each other, such as washing our hands and covering our mouths and noses when we sneeze.
WHO has posted a lot of information on its website.
I would like to thank again the Government of the People’s Republic of China for their cooperation and transparency. The Government was able to isolate and sequence the virus very quickly and has communicated the genetic sequence to WHO and the international community.
The outbreak was detected because China had put in place a system to specifically identify cases of lower respiratory tract infection. It is thanks to this system that this event could be identified.
I would like to reiterate that, although I am not declaring a public health emergency of international concern today, WHO considers the situation to be serious and takes this situation seriously.
Nothing is more true.
WHO is monitoring the situation minute by minute and day by day minute by minute, nationally, regionally and globally.
We work to prevent human-to-human transmission.
We have provided guidance to all countries for the rapid identification, management and containment of cases of infection.
We coordinate our global expert networks.
We are working to progress in the development of diagnostic tools, treatments and vaccines.
We are determined to end this outbreak as soon as possible.
And I will not hesitate to reconvene the Committee when I deem it necessary.
Thank you.
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