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WHO classes the outbreak of the corona virus as an international threat to human life

At a meeting held on Thursday (30.01), the World Health Organisation (WHO) decided to class the outbreak of the new corona virus 2019-nCoV as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The decision was taken because the virus outbreak requires the countries of the world to coordinate their efforts.

The decision to class the outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) implies that WHO will make international provisional recommendations.
According to the Public Health Agency of Sweden, WHO's announcement is a signal to the countries of the world to work together even more than usual, and to pool resources to be able to contain the outbreak.

Sweden will continue its efforts to identify and deal with suspected cases to reduce the risk of infection. The risk of the spread of infection as a whole in Sweden is deemed to still be low, even though, according to the Public Health Agency of Sweden it is not unlikely that there can be isolated cases given the experience of other countries.
The outbreak of the corona virus 2019-nCoV originated in the city of Wuhan in central China, but cases have occurred in other countries. For more information on the outbreak, click here.
WHO has previously classified two other current outbreaks as PHEIC cases in several affected countries. These include outbreaks of polio and ebola in DR Congo.

Sources: WHO, Folkhälsomyndigheten
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