Why in news?
The Emergency Committee convened by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on January 30 has declared the novel coronavirus outbreak in China as a ‘public health emergency of international concern’, a development that comes after its meeting for the second time in just a week
More about the virus?
- The virus, that has been infecting hundreds and killing several each day in China, is now being reported in at least 23 other countries nearly 14,380 cases as on Sunday since the committee last met on January 22-23.
- There has also been the first confirmed fatality outside China, with a death in the Philippines
- But the critical factor that prompted WHO’s emergency declaration is the virus’s human-to-human spread in other countries.
- In fact, WHO’s committee reconvened to assess the situation mainly because of local transmission in other countries
In Kerala, after a student who had travelled from Wuhan city, the epi centre of the current outbreak, was found to be infected, State health authorities reported a second case being detected.
There is no clinical evidence whatsoever that any specific drug, either modern or of the traditional system of medicine, can prevent infection or treat infected people.
It is the novel virus transmitted through physical contact or droplets that causes the infection, and not any food items
