Coronavirus Declared Global Health Emergency

The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak as a global emergency Thursday. This came after the number of cases spiked tenfold in a week. The U.N. health agency defines an international emergency as an “extraordinary event” that constitutes a risk to other countries and requires a coordinated international response.

China first informed WHO about cases of the new virus in late December. To date, China has reported more than 7,800 cases including 170 deaths. Eighteen other countries have since reported cases. Scientists are racing to understand how exactly the virus is spreading and how severe it is. There are over 8,200 cases worldwide. The CDC and State Department  have already warned against all travel to China.

Experts say there is significant evidence the virus is transmitting among people in China and have noted with concern several instances in other countries — including United States, Japan, Germany, Canada and Vietnam — where there have also been isolated cases of human-to-human spread. The United States confirmed a sixth U.S. case of the Wuhan coronavirus Thursday, marking the first time the virus has spread from person to person in the United States.

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