Geneva (AFP)
The pandemic of the new coronavirus is "manageable", said Thursday the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), during a meeting with member states at the headquarters of this specialized agency of the UN in Geneva.
"This is a manageable pandemic", but "you can't fight a virus if you don't know where it is. This means you need robust surveillance to find, isolate, test and treat each case , in order to break the chains of transmission, "Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told diplomats.
He stressed that countries must adopt a "comprehensive approach (...) adapted to their situation, with containment as a central pillar" and called on countries to "find a fair balance between protecting health, preventing economic and social disruption and respect for human rights ".
For the first time since the start of the epidemic, which appeared in China in December, the WHO on Wednesday qualified the new coronavirus as a "pandemic", alarmed by its "spread", the "severity of the cases" and the "insufficient measures taken".
"To save lives, we need to reduce transmission. This means finding and isolating as many cases as possible, and quarantining their closest contacts," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
"Even if you can't stop the transmission, you can slow it down and protect healthcare facilities, retirement homes and other vital spaces - but only if you test all suspected cases," he warned. .
Some countries were sorely lacking in equipment, the head of WHO said his organization was working "night and day" to help them. The UN specialized agency has already sent protective equipment to 57 countries and is preparing to dispatch it to 28 others. It has also sent laboratory supplies to 120 countries.
© 2020 AFP