THE World Health Organisation, WHO has called for caution against the spread of panic over the coronavirus outbreak in China and other affected countries. The WHO, which is tackling misinformation over the coronavirus outbreak, had declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, even as it called on government officials and the media to navigate between fear about the spread of the virus and increasing international preparedness. “Instead of spending time on fear and panic, we should say this is the time to prepare,” said the Director-General, WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Noting that caution is necessary, Tedros said officials must be sure not to say or do anything to fuel rising xenophobia and ostracism of China, which could lead to less transparency and information. Since the outbreak, misleading claims and hoaxes about the virus have circulated online. They include false conspiracy theories that the virus was created in a lab and that vaccines have already been manufactured, exaggerations about the number of sick and dead, and claims about bogus cures.
CREDIT: THE VANGUARD