The World Health Organization’s emergency director for the Eastern Mediterranean on Thursday said the world was not ready for a global outbreak.
“There’s a general recognition that globally that we’re not ready for the big outbreaks. And we’re really playing catch up right now, we’re really trying to accelerate our preparedness,” said Rick Brennan. “The international community, and individual governments, have not invested adequately in disease preparedness.” #Coronavirus #CoronavirusOutbreak #ChinaVirus
He warned the outbreak would have particularly dire consequences in countries with weakened or war-battered health care systems, such as Syria and Yemen.
Iran has emerged as a major global focal point for the disease, with 250 total cases, the highest number in the region. Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have also seen a recent uptick.
Brennan described Iran’s 250 cases as “a substantial underestimate,” given the country’s limited detection capacities, which explains the relatively high death rate.
“We expect in the coming days that the numbers will increase substantially,” Brennan said, as Iran ramps up testing in new labs.
The fight to contain the virus has grown increasingly urgent, as health officials across Europe and the Middle East reported caseloads of infected people on Thursday.
In response, Saudi Arabia took the extraordinary step of suspending the umrah, the minor Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina that draws millions every year.
Brennan welcomed the kingdom’s move, saying that WHO “expects that this will give Saudi Arabia a chance to really strengthen their own disease control measures for the moment.”
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