2020 – Posted in: Press Information Bureau – Tags: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), PHEIC, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), WHO

Corona Virus Disease

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

WHAT

World Health Organization has declared the Coronavirus outbreak as a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” (PHEIC).

CORONAVIRUS

Coronaviruses are a large group of viruses that cause illness in humans and animals.
Once in a while, animal coronaviruses can evolve and infect individuals and then spread between peoples, for example, has been seen with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003 and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2014.

OUTBREAK

China reported an outbreak of Novel Coronavirus on 31st December, 2019.
The outbreak was initially noticed in a seafood market in Wuhan city in Hubei Province of China. In a very short span of time, it has spread to all the provinces of China.

SYMPTOMS

Once a person is exposed to the infection, it may take about 2 weeks to develop the illness.
The main symptoms of novel corona virus disease are fever, cough, pneumonia and difficulty in breathing.

TRANSMISSION

Human to human transmission has been noticed in the cases of Novel Coronavirus and it spreads through droplets/aerosols in persons having close contact.

PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY OF INTERNATIONAL CONCERN

A PHEIC is a formal declaration by the World Health Organization of “an extraordinary event which is determined to constitute a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease and to potentially require a coordinated international response”. It is a situation arises that is “serious, sudden, unusual or unexpected”. Such situations “carries implications for public health beyond the affected State’s national border” and “may require immediate international action”.

Under the 2005 International Health Regulations (IHR), states have a legal duty to respond promptly to a PHEIC.

INTERNATIONAL HEALTH REGULATIONS

The International Health Regulations (2005) are a legally binding instrument of international law that aims:

to assist countries to work together to save lives and livelihoods endangered by the international spread of diseases and other health risks
avoid unnecessary interference with international trade and travel.

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

The WHO is a specialised agency of the United Nations. WHO is concerned with international public health.
It was established on 7 April 1948, and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
The WHO is responsible for the World Health Report, the worldwide World Health Survey, and World Health Day.

Source: PIB