The WHO usually only declares a public health emergency of international concern – one tier below a pandemic in its alert system – after consulting a committee of experts. In the case, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the call himself, citing the “unusual” situation and how little is known for sure about the true spread of the virus.
“This event requires international coordination and cooperation to understand the magnitude of the outbreak, coordinate investigations, prevention and response efforts, scale up and strengthen operations and ensure the capacity to implement control measures,” the WHO statement said.
The warning comes on the eve of the WHO’s annual decision-making meeting in Geneva, where countries were supposed to finalize an agreement to protect the world from pandemic threats. Instead, negotiators will ask for more time after failing to resolve their differences over the supply of pathogen samples and data, as well as drugs and vaccines.
