Coronavirus outbreak: Expert warns 60% of world's population under threat

Hong Kong’s leing public health epidemiologist has warned that around two-thirds of world’s population could get infected by new coronavirus if it can t be controlled. warning came after World Health Organization ( WHO) Director-General Tedros ham Ghebreyesus h said that transmission among people with travel history to China could be 'tip of iceberg'.

Speaking to Guardian, Prof Gabriel Leung, ding to Ghebreyesus’s comment, said that it was important to find out size and shape of ‘iceberg’. Quoting health experts, Leung, who himself chairs public health medicine at Hong Kong University, opined that each infected person could transmit virus to about 2.5 people on an aver giving it an “attack rate” of 60-80 per cent.

Leung will attend an expert meeting at WHO in Geneva and will vise attendees that scale of epidemic remains major issue. public health epidemic has alrey claimed more than 1,000 lives which forced Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit a healthcare centre to boost public morale.

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WHO signs MoU

Meanwhile, WHO and Foundation for Invative New Diagstics (FIND) has signed a memorandum of understanding to formalize a strategic collaboration to strengn diagsis in resource-poor countries by closing major diagstic gaps at country level. 

“Global health challenges such as ongoing new #2019nCoV outbreak demonstrates that without se essential elements of health systems, we cant hope to promote health, keep world safe, and serve vulnerable,” tweeted Ghebreyesus.

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WHO is also convening a global research and invation forum to mobilize international action in response to new coronavirus. forum will be held on February 11-12 in Geneva which is being organized in collaboration with Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness. “WHO is playing an important coordinating role by bringing scientific community toger to identify research priorities and accelerate progress,” said Ghebreyesus in a statement.

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