World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday, said there have been "concerning instances" of coronavirus among people with no travel history to China. WHO warns that it could be the "tip of the iceberg", and urges all countries to prepare for the possible arrival of the novel virus that has killed over 900 people.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Director-General of the World Health Organization is on high praise with the doctors, nurses and health workers for doing "their utmost" at personal risk to contain the epidemic, terming them "true heroes" of the outbreak that first surfaced in December in Wuhan city in.
"There've been some concerning instances of onward 2019nCoV spread from people with no travel history to China. The detection of a small number of cases may indicate more widespread transmission in other countries; in short, we may only be seeing the tip of the iceberg," tweeted Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO.
"In an evolving public health emergency, all countries must step up efforts to prepare for #2019nCoV's possible arrival and do their utmost to contain it should it arrive. This means lab capacity for rapid diagnosis, contact tracing and other tools in the public health arsenal," he said.
The death toll in China from the novel coronavirus epidemic soared to 908 and reports of confirmed cases have numbered over 40,000, Chinese health officials reveal on Monday.
The spread of coronavirus outside China has apparently slowed down but could accelerate, and insists that any breach in solidarity is a victory for the virus.
Till Sunday 36 confirmed cases, which includes one death, is reported in Hong Kong, 10 confirmed cases in Macao and 18 in Taiwan. Over 300 cases of coronavirus have been reported overseas, including three from Kerala, in India.
China and countries around the world are jostling to contain the spread of coronavirus which is wreaking havoc in China and abroad.
Apart from Germany, Britain and Italy, other European nations with cases of the virus include France, Russia, Belgium, Sweden, Finland and Spain.