'Use window of opportunity to prevent bigger fire': WHO warns countries on coronavirus

Expressing concern over instances of coronavirus infection among people with travel history to China, he of World Health Organization has warned that small number of cases could be "spark that becomes a bigger fire", urging countries to use "window of opportunity" to contain vel virus that has killed over 1,000 people.

Tedros ham Ghebreyesus said while spre of respiratory disease appeared to be slow, it could accelerate. His remarks have come a day after he warned overseas coronavirus spre may be "tip of iceberg".

"In recent days we have seen some concerning instances of onward transmission from people with travel history to China, like cases reported in France yesterday and UK today. detection of this small number of cases could be spark that becomes a bigger fire," Ghebreyesus said in Geneva on Monday.

He said detection of this small number of cases for w was only a spark and objective for countries "remains containment".

"We call on all countries to use window of opportunity that we have to prevent a bigger fire," he said.

death toll in China's vel coronavirus outbreak has gone up to 1,016 with 108 new fatalities reported mostly in worst-affected Hubei province while confirmed cases of infection have soared to 42,638, Chinese health officials said on Tuesday.

Outside China, re have been more than 350 infections reported in almost 30 places with two deaths, one in Philippines and or in Hong Kong.

Apart from Germany, Britain and Italy, or European nations with cases of virus include France, Russia, Belgium, Sweden, Finland and Spain.

overall pattern of infections has t changed, Ghebreyesus said, ding that 99 per cent of reported cases were in China, and most cases are mild.

WHO's Director of Pandemic and Epidemic Diseases Sylvie Briand said that 80 per cent of cases displayed mild symptoms, 15 per cent were severe – developing into pneumonia – and three to five per cent required intensive care.

"This is of course too many," WHO chief said of fatalities, ting that many questions still needed answering, such as where outbreak was growing and where it was getting better or worse.

As part of measures to coordinate an international response to epidemic, on Sunday, Tedros confirmed that WHO h sent an vance team of international epidemiology experts to Beijing, to assist authorities with outbreak.

Leing m is Bruce Aylward, a WHO veteran outbreak expert, who recently coordinated ncy's response to Ebola epidemic in West Africa.

His job will be to "lay groundwork" for a larger international team of experts which is expected to follow to China, Tedros said.

WHO's or measures have included equipping laboratories in some 14 countries with kits to "fast diagse" infections, including to Cote d'Ivoire, Kenya, Tunisia and Zambia. This was essential to being able to identify coronavirus infections which can resemble or respiratory bugs, WHO chief said.

To date, WHO has identified 168 labs around as having right techlogy to identify coronavirus. On concerns that incubation period for coronavirus could easily be as long as 24 days, WHO's Health Emergencies Programme chief Michael Ryan said that ncy was t considering changing current 14-day quarantine requirement period.

UN health ncy also reported that all crew and passengers on board a cruise ship harboured in Yokohama, Japan, were being quarantined for a 14-day period on board. ir quarantine period will come to an end on February 19, but will be extended for any close contacts of newly confirmed cases, WHO said. PTI YAS MRJ MRJ