世界卫生组织(世卫组织)专家委员会周四确定，中国涉及一种新型冠状病毒的健康危机在中国是一种“紧急情况”，但并不构成国际危机。
“现在不是时候，”委员会主席迪迪埃·侯赛因在新闻发布会上说。“现在考虑这件事是国际关注的公共卫生紧急事件还为时过早。”
一种新的冠状病毒株，暂时命名为“2019-nCoV”，起源于中国武汉，但后来已经传播到至少五个其他国家，包括美国。这是第一次在人类身上发现它。它与严重急性呼吸系统综合症(简称“非典”)最为相似，而且它从一个人传播到另一个人的能力引起了人们对它可能演变成一场重大国际疫情的担忧。
“这种疾病的人与人之间的传播已经出现，病毒很可能会变异。中国国家卫生委员会副主任李斌在一份声明中表示:“这种疾病有进一步传播的风险。”。
在导致一种肺炎的病毒在中国境外传播后，世卫组织召集了一个由16名成员和5名顾问组成的紧急委员会，以确定是否需要协调一致的国际应对措施。该委员会于周三首次召开会议，但决定需要更多信息，促使周四召开另一次会议。
和周三的情况一样，委员会成员对这种情况是否构成国际紧急情况意见不一，但最终决定不构成国际紧急情况。然而，世卫组织总干事特德罗斯·阿德诺姆·盖特布雷耶苏斯表示，周四的决定不是最终决定，并建议各国继续采取预防措施，防止疾病传播。
新型冠状病毒的现状
根据Ghebreyesus的数据，全世界有584例冠状病毒病例，17例死亡。在这些病例中，575例和所有死亡病例都是在中国报告的。日本、大韩民国、新加坡、泰国、美国和越南报告了其他病例。
Ghebreyesus说，大约四分之一被诊断出患有“严重”症状，大多数死亡的人都有潜在的健康状况，削弱了他们的免疫系统。
据美国疾病控制和预防中心称，由于这种冠状病毒以前从未在人体内被检测到，情况仍然“不清楚”，尽管官员们仍然认为美国公众面临的风险很低。那些在过去14天内前往中国并出现病毒症状(包括发烧、咳嗽和呼吸困难)的人应该立即就医。
Ghebreyesus说，中国和其他国家可能会有更多病例。
在国际关注的突发公共卫生事件中会发生什么？
当疾病的国际传播可能危及国际社会的健康时，世卫组织可以决定这是国际关注的公共卫生紧急情况。要被视为PHEIC，该事件还必须潜在地需要协调一致的国际响应。
在宣布PHEIC之前，一个紧急委员会召开会议，然后向世卫组织总干事通报情况。该小组的建议将包括针对该疾病的发源地以及如何预防或减少该疾病在国际上传播的措施。
根据侯赛因的说法，那些赞成宣布PHEIC的人指出了流行病的发展、疾病的严重性和病例的数量。反对这一说法的人表示，现在发表声明还为时过早，因为中国境外的病例数量有限，中国当局已经采取措施遏制这一疾病。
尽管没有宣布PHEIC，侯赛因建议各国“做好应对”更多病例的准备。他补充说，国际社会应该为“可能需要的流行病的潜在演变”做好准备，宣布一项PHEIC。
1月22日，在日内瓦举行的新闻发布会上，世界卫生组织总干事特德罗斯·阿德诺姆·盖特布雷耶苏斯(Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus)观看了这场关于冠状病毒在中国和其他国家传播的紧急会谈。
防止冠状病毒传播的步骤
为了遏制疾病蔓延，武汉政府暂停了城市公共交通系统，禁止居民离开。此外，公共场所的每个人都必须戴口罩。
“我们希望它们能有效，持续时间短，”盖布雷耶苏斯周四表示。
世卫组织建议每个人用肥皂洗手，咳嗽到肘部，并确保所有肉类在食用前都经过适当烹饪。
周五，疾控中心执行对从武汉飞往旧金山机场、纽约肯尼迪机场和洛杉矶国际机场的乘客进行健康检查。他们后来在芝加哥奥黑尔国际机场和哈特菲尔德-杰克逊亚特兰大国际机场增加了放映。疾控中心还建议人们避免去武汉“不必要”的旅行，在其网站上指出，中国官员已经关闭了进出武汉的交通。
Ghebreyesus建议所有国家采取措施检测病毒。侯赛因将该建议扩大到能够追踪病例，从而限制了该流行病的传播能力。
2019年仍然未知的是什么——nCoV
截至周四的新闻发布会，世界卫生组织知道这种病毒会导致严重的疾病，导致死亡，但对大多数人来说，它会导致轻微的症状。该组织还知道，人际传播仅限于家庭成员和卫生保健工作者。迄今为止，没有证据表明病毒在中国境外的人之间传播。
但是Ghebreyesus说“还有很多我们不知道的”，包括病毒的来源、传播的难易程度以及它的临床特征或严重程度。
NEW CORONAVIRUS NOT AN INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY, BUT COUNTRIES ADVISED TO BE READY FOR 'POTENTIAL EVOLUTION'
A World Health Organization (WHO) committee of experts determined on Thursday that China's health crisis involving a novel coronavirus was an "emergency" there but didn't constitute one internationally.
"Now is not the time," Didier Houssin, chair of the committee, said during a press conference. "It's a bit too early to consider that this event is a public health emergency of international concern."
A new strain of coronavirus, temporarily named "2019-nCoV," originated in Wuhan, China, but has since spread to at least five other countries, including the United States. This is the first time it has been found in humans. It most closely resembles severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, and its ability to spread from one person to another has raised concerns that it could turn into a significant international outbreak.
"Human-to-human transmission of the disease has appeared, and the virus is likely to mutate. There are risks of the further spread of the disease," Li Bin, vice minister of China's National Health Commission, said in a statement.
After the virus, which causes a type of pneumonia, spread outside of China's borders, the WHO assembled an emergency committee, consisting of 16 members and five advisers, to determine if a coordinated international response was needed. The committee first convened on Wednesday but decided it needed more information, prompting another meeting on Thursday.
As was the case on Wednesday, committee members were split on whether the situation constituted an international emergency but ultimately decided it did not. However, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Thursday's decision was not final and advised countries to continue to take precautions to prevent the disease's spread.
The State of the Novel Coronavirus
There have been 584 cases of coronavirus around the world, according to Ghebreyesus, and 17 deaths. Of those cases, 575 and all of the deaths were reported in China. Additional cases have been reported in Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.
Ghebreyesus said that about one-quarter of people who were diagnosed experienced "severe" symptoms and that most people who were killed had underlying health conditions that weakened their immune systems.
Since this strain of coronavirus hasn't been detected in humans before, the situation remains "unclear," according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), although officials still believe the risk to the American public is low. Those who have traveled to China within the past 14 days and experience symptoms of the virus, including fever, coughing and trouble breathing, should seek medical care immediately.
Ghebreyesus said it's likely there will be more cases in China and other countries.
What Happens During a Public Health Emergency of International Concern?
When the international spread of a disease could endanger the health of the international community, the WHO can decide it is a public health emergency of international concern. To be considered a PHEIC, the event must also potentially require a coordinated international response.
Before declaring a PHEIC, an emergency committee meets and then advises the WHO director-general on the state of the situation. The panel's recommendations would include measures for the place where the disease originated and how to prevent or reduce the disease from spreading internationally.
Those in favor of declaring a PHEIC pointed to the evolution of the epidemic, the severity of the disease and the number of cases, according to Houssin. Those who argued against it said that it was too early to make the declaration because there were a limited number of cases outside of China's borders and that Chinese authorities were already taking steps to contain the disease.
Although a PHEIC wasn't declared, Houssin advised countries to "be ready to cope" with additional cases. He added that the global community should be prepared for a "potential evolution of the epidemic that may require" declaring a PHEIC.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus looks on during a January 22 press conference in Geneva, following emergency talks on the coronavirus spreading in China and other nations.
Steps to Prevent the Coronavirus From Spreading
To try to curb the disease from spreading, the Wuhan government suspended the city's public transport system, prohibiting residents from leaving. Also, everyone in public places must wear masks.
"We hope they will be effective and short in their duration," Ghebreyesus said on Thursday.
The WHO recommended that everyone wash their hands with soap, cough into their elbows and ensure all meat is properly cooked before consumption.
On Friday, the CDC implemented health screenings for passengers from Wuhan flying into San Francisco Airport, John F. Kennedy Airport in New York and Los Angeles International Airport. They later added screenings at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The CDC also recommended people avoid "nonessential" travel to Wuhan, noting on its website that Chinese officials have closed transport into and out of Wuhan.
Ghebreyesus advised all countries to have measures to detect the virus. Houssin expanded that recommendation to include being able to trace cases, thereby limiting the epidemic's ability to spread.
What's Still Unknown About 2019-nCoV
As of Thursday's press conference, the WHO knows the virus can cause severe diseases that can kill someone, but for most people, it causes milder symptoms. The organization also knows that human-to-human transmissions are limited to family members and health care workers. So far, there is no evidence of the virus being transmitted between people outside of China's borders.
But Ghebreyesus said there's "still a lot we don't know," including the source of the virus, how easily it spreads and its clinical features or severity.
"WHO is working with partners in China and other affected countries to fill the gaps in our knowledge as quickly as possible," he said.
