World must prepare for ‘potential pandemic’: WHO Chief

The World Health Organization chief says the world should be working harder to contain the spread of the deadly new coronavirus, and should be preparing for a "potential pandemic."

According to reports, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director general, told a news conference in Geneva on Monday that "using the word pandemic does not fit the facts," adding, "We must focus on containment while preparing for a potential pandemic."

"For the moment we are not witnessing the uncontained global spread of this virus and we are not witnessing large-scale deaths," Tedros said.

He added, however, that countries should be doing everything they can to prepare for a potential pandemic.

"What we see are epidemics in different parts of the world affecting countries in different ways and requiring a tailored response," he said.

"The sudden increase of cases in Italy, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Korea are deeply concerning," Tedros said.

Michael Ryan, head of WHO's health emergencies program, said a WHO team had arrived in Italy on Monday and another was expected in Iran on Tuesday.

Ryan also cautioned over the apparent high mortality rate in Iran, saying that "we may only be detecting severe cases" and not mild infections at the start of the outbreak.

Earlier in the day, WHO warned that the new coronavirus might be around for months but said the measures China implemented have prevented the infections of hundreds of thousands of people.

The epidemic has killed nearly 2,600 people and infected some 77,000 people in China, with new cases and fatalities emerging in Europe and Asia in recent days.

SS