WHO Unable to Conclude Declaration of Wuhan Pneumonia Emergency... Decision on 23rd (Update)

Decision to Conclude After Another Meeting in a Day
Overnight Death Toll in China Rises Sharply to 17
Chinese Authorities Implement Sudden Movement Restrictions in Wuhan City

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General (center), is briefing on the results of the World Health Organization (WHO) emergency meeting on Wuhan pneumonia on the 22nd.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The World Health Organization (WHO) held an emergency meeting on the 22nd (local time) regarding the spread of the Wuhan pneumonia outbreak but did not decide to declare a "global emergency." However, it announced that a final decision would be made the following day, on the 23rd.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said after the meeting, "The decision to declare an emergency will be made based on sufficient information and consideration," adding, "That decision is one of the matters I take very seriously."

The government of Hubei Province, the administrative region of Wuhan City, held a press conference on the night of the 22nd and announced that the death toll had sharply increased to 17, and although confirmed cases have spread to other countries, the WHO was unable to reach a conclusion regarding the declaration of an emergency.

The reason WHO hesitates to declare an emergency is that the term "global emergency" is reserved for the most severe infectious diseases. If an emergency is declared, countries are advised to refrain from trade and travel with the affected country, and an international medical response system is established.

If WHO declares an emergency at the meeting on the 23rd, it will be the sixth case in the past decade.

While WHO postponed its decision, the Chinese government has taken decisive measures to prevent the spread of the infection, including imposing a travel ban on Wuhan residents and blocking public transportation.