ໃນຂະນະທີ່ຈໍນວນຄົນຕິດເຊື້ອໄວຣັສໂຄໂຣນາ ໄດ້ຖີບຕົວຂຶ້ນສູງຮອດ 584 ລາຍໃນທົ່ວໂລກນັ້ນ ອົງການອະນາໄມໂລກໄດ້ເຕືອນວ່າ ການລະບາດຂອງ ເຊື້ອໄວຣັສດັ່ງກ່າວຢູ່ໃນຈີນແມ່ນເປັນ “ໄພຂົ່ມຂູ່ສູງຕໍ່ໂລກ.” ແຕ່ວ່າ ອົງການອະນາໄມໂລກກໍຍັງບໍ່ທັນໄດ້ເຖິງຂັ້ນປະກາດ "ພາວະສຸກເສີນດ້ານສາທາລະນະສຸກໂດຍເປັນບັນຫາໃນລະດັບສາກົນ” ຫລື PHEIC ທີ່ຈະເຮັດໃຫ້ເຊື້ອໄວຣັສ ດັ່ງກ່າວໄປຢູ່ໃນລະດັບດຽວກັນກັບການລະບາດຂອງໂຣກອີໂບລາຢູ່ໃນສາທາລະນະລັດຄອງໂກໃນເດືອນກໍລະກົດປີກາຍນີ້ ເທື່ອ.
"ຢ່າໄດ້ເຂົ້າໃຈຜິດ, ອັນນີ້ ມັນແມ່ນພາວະສຸກເສີນຢູ່ໃນຈີນ. ແຕ່ວ່າ ມັນກໍຍັງບໍ່ ທັນໄດ້ກາຍເປັນພາວະສຸກເສີນດ້ານສຸຂະພາບໃນລະດັບໂລກເທື່ອ,” ນັ້ນຄືຄຳເວົ້າຂອງ ດຣ. ເທດຣັອສ ແອັດຮານອມ ເກເບຣເຢຊັສ (Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus), ອຳນວຍການໃຫຍ່ຂອງອົງການອະນາໄມໂລກ ທີ່ກ່າວຕໍ່ກອງປະຊຸມຖະແຫລງຂ່າວ ໃນວັນພະຫັດວານນີ້ ໃນນະຄອນເຈເນວາ.
ທ່ານເວົ້າວ່າ ຄະນະກຳມະການດ້ານພາວະສຸກເສີນຂອງອົງການອະນາໄມໂລກ ມີແຜນທີ່ຈະປະຊຸມກັນໃນເວລາ 10 ວັນ ຫລືໄວກວ່ານັ້ນ ຖ້າຫາກຈຳເປັນ.
ທ່ານ ເກເບຣເຢຊັສກ່າວເພີ້ມວ່າ "ພວກເຮົາຮູ້ແລ້ວວ່າ ເຊື້ອໄວຣັສນີ້ສາມາດພາໃຫ້ເກີດພະຍາດທີ່ຮ້າຍແຮງໄດ້ ແລະມັນອາດຈະສັງຫານຊີວິດຄົນໄດ້ ເຖິງແມ່ນວ່າ ມັນພາໃຫ້ເກີດອາການທີ່ເບົາກວ່ານັ້ນສຳລັບຄົນສ່ວນໃຫຍ່ກໍຕາມ.” ທ່ານກ່າວຕໍ່ໄປວ່າ "ພວກເຮົາຮູ້ແລ້ວວ່າ ໃນຈຳນວນຄົນທີ່ຕິດເຊື້ອໄວຣັສນີ້, ຊາວຫ້າເປີເຊັນຂອງຄົນປ່ວຍແມ່ນມີອາການຮ້າຍແຮງ. ພວກເຮົາຮູ້ແລ້ວວ່າ ຄົນສ່ວນໃຫຍ່ທີ່ເສຍຊີວິດ ແມ່ນມີອາການທາງສຸຂະພາບ ເຊັ່ນ ຄວາມດັນເລືອດສູງ, ໂຣກເບົາຫວານ ຫລືພະຍາດທາງດ້ານການຫາຍໃຈແອບແຝງ ທີ່ເຮັດໃຫ້ພູມຕ້ານທານຮ່າງກາຍຂອງເຂົາເຈົ້າອ່ອນຢູ່ແລ້ວ."
"ພວກເຮົາຮູ້ແລ້ວວ່າ ມີການຕິດຕໍ່ກັນຈາກຄົນ-ຫາ-ຄົນ ຢູ່ໃນຈີນ ແຕ່ວ່າ ດຽວນີ້ ປາກົດວ່າ ມັນກໍຈຳກັດຢູ່ໃນກຸ່ມຄອບຄົວ ແລະພະນັກງານແພດທີ່ໃຫ້ການປິ່ນປົວແກ່ຄົນປ່ວຍຍ້ອນເຊື້ອໄວຣັສນີ້ເທົ່ານັ້ນ. ໃນຂະນະນີ້ ຍັງທັນບໍ່ມີຫລັກຖານສະແດງໃຫ້ເຫັນວ່າ ມີການແຜ່ເຊື້ອຢູ່ນອກຈີນເທື່ອ ແຕ່ກໍບໍ່ໄດ້ມີຄວາມໝາຍວ່າ ເຫດການນັ້ນ ຈະບໍ່ເກີດຂຶ້ນໄດ້.”
ເຊື້ອໄວຣັສດັ່ງກ່າວໄດ້ກຳເນີດຂຶ້ນຢູ່ໃນເມືອງວູຫານ ແລະໄດ້ເຮັດໃຫ້ຢ່າງໜ້ອຍ 18 ຄົນເສຍຊີວິດຢູ່ໃນຈີນ. ບັນດານັກວິທະຍາສາດໃນມະຫາວິທະຍາໄລອິມເພີຣິອອລ (Imperial) ໃນນະຄອນລອນດອນ ເຕືອນວ່າ ຕົວເລກໃນຕົວຈິງອາດຈະສູງກວ່ານັ້ນຫລາຍ.
ອ່ານຂ່າວນີ້ເພີ້ມເປັນພາສາອັງກິດຢູ່ລຸ່ມນີ້
As the number of reported coronavirus infections soared Thursday to 584 cases worldwide, the World Health Organization warned that the outbreak in China represents a "high global risk." However, the WHO stopped short of declaring a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern" or PHEIC, which would put the virus on the same level as the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo in July last year.
"Make no mistake, this is, though, an emergency in China. But it has not yet become a global health emergency. It may yet become one," the Director-General of the World Health Organization Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference Thursday in Geneva.
He said the WHO Emergency Committee plans to reconvene in 10 days' time, or sooner if necessary.
"We know that this virus can cause severe disease, and that it can kill, although for most people it causes milder symptoms," Ghebreyesus said. "We know that among those infected, one-quarter of patients have experienced severe disease. We know that most of those who have died had underlying health conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes or cardiovascular disease that weakened their immune systems.
"We know that there is human-to-human transmission in China, but for now it appears limited to family groups and health workers caring for infected patients. At this time, there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission outside China, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen."
The virus originated in the city of Wuhan and has caused at least 18 deaths in China. Scientists at Imperial College London warn the true number of cases could be much higher.
"Most cases have been epidemiologically linked to exposure at a seafood market in Wuhan, which has been closed since 1 January, 2020, in efforts to contain the outbreak. Using the number of cases detected outside China, the report finds it is possible to infer the number of clinically comparable cases within Wuhan City that may have occurred thus far," Imperial College scientists said Thursday in a press release.
"The report estimates that a total of 1,723 cases of '2019-nCoV' (Coronavirus) in Wuhan City had onset of symptoms by 12th January, 2020 (the last reported onset date of any case before the report's publication)," the statement adds.
New infections were reported Thursday in Singapore and Vietnam, and the virus also has been found in Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand, and the United States.
Wuhan, with a population of 11 million, is in lockdown. Police have been deployed across the city and people are being told not to enter or leave the city. The security measures are being rolled out across Hubei province as the number of cases has soared in recent days.
Residents planning to travel for the upcoming Lunar New Year celebrations this weekend are being turned away as public transit is cut off in and out of the city.
At the Beijing airport, travelers are taking what precautions they can.
"I'm really worried. I'm really scared it will become the next SARS. That's why we all wear masks," said Cindy Chen, who was traveling to the city of Nanning this week for Lunar New Year.
Chinese state television showed medical workers screening passengers at airports across the country. Any with high temperatures are being quarantined.
Experts say the coronavirus is not yet as serious as past epidemics, such as the SARS outbreak in 2003, which killed almost 800 people.
"It's the closest relative of SARS that we know. And therefore, it has to be regarded as something that's really potentially quite dangerous," Derek Gatherer, a virologist at Britain's Lancaster University told VOA. "Having said that, the case fatality rate that's the proportion of infected people that day is considerably lower than SARS."
"It's particularly important that the Chinese get all the support that they need to really nip this thing in the bud in Wuhan, and making sure that all contacts of all cases are traced and quarantined, and that everybody who has respiratory symptoms in Wuhan is tested for the virus," Gatherer said.
Across the world, authorities are ramping up the screening of travelers. Experts say the biggest fear is human-to-human transmission of the virus outside China, which could indicate the start of a global epidemic.