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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 4 February 2020

U.N. health agency tackles misinformation over virus outbreak

By JAMEY KEATEN ter — Wuhan city and sur-
Associated Press rounding Hubei province —
GENEVA (AP) — The World to keep the virus from spi-
Health Organization chief raling out of control. It also
has traveled a dozen times wants to help get weaker
to monitor the Ebola re- health systems ready.
sponse in violence-marred Before he left for the meet-
eastern Congo. But when ing with President Xi Jinping
he planned to visit China's last week, Tedros reassured
capital last week over a his daughter: "It's ok, it's not
new viral outbreak emerg- all over China."
ing from central Hubei "Even in China, the virus is
province, his daughter got not evenly spread every-
worried. where, and the risk is not
"Before I left for Beijing, my the same," he recalled.
daughter was saying, 'Oh, "When I was in Beijing, what
you should not go,'" WHO we had discussed with the
Director-General Tedros authorities is that our con-
Adhanom Ghebreyesus centrated effort should be
confided to the U.N. health in the epicenters, or the
agency's executive board sources of the virus."
in a public session on Mon- Pausing on a couple of oc-
day. casions to cough, clear his
The account exemplifies throat, and drink some wa-
the fine line WHO officials ter, Tedros quipped: "Don't Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), waits
prior the opening of the 146th session of the World Health Organization Executive Board, at the
are navigating between worry: It's not corona," World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday, Feb. 3, 2020.
fear about the new coro- prompting laughter. Associated Press
navirus and hopes of in- WHO is also battling mis-
creasing international pre- information, working with epidemic "is a devil — we ed that the outbreak and oping countries with weak-
paredness about an out- Google to ensure that peo- cannot let the devil hide." response have been ac- er health systems.
break that has taken more ple get facts from the U.N. "At the same time, the inter- companied "by a massive Tedros said recent out-
than 360 lives and infected health agency first when national community needs 'infodemic' — an over- breaks such as the new vi-
at least 17,238 people in they search for informa- to treat the new virus ob- abundance of information, rus and Ebola demonstrat-
China since late Decem- tion about the virus. Social jectively, fairly, calmly, and some accurate and some ed the shortcomings of the
ber — and could become media platforms such as rationally, and not over- not — that makes it hard for "binary" emergency system,
a pandemic. So far, growth Twitter, Facebook, Tencent interpret it negatively and people to find trustworthy calling it "too restrictive, too
has been exponential in and TikTok have also taken pessimistically, or deliber- sources and reliable guid- simplistic, and not fit for pur-
China, but elsewhere cases steps to limit the spread of ately create panic," Li said. ance when they need it. pose."
remain under 150, scat- misinformation and rumors "We need facts, not fear. The report said WHO, the "We have a green light, a
tered across nearly two about the outbreak. We need science, not ru- U.N. health agency, was red light, and nothing in-
dozen countries. Chinese officials are in- mors. We need solidarity, working "24 hours a day to between," he said, adding
"Instead of spending time creasingly speaking out. At not stigma." identify the most prevalent that WHO was considering
on fear and panic, we the executive board meet- Since the outbreak began, rumors that can potentially options to allow for an "in-
should say this is the time ing, Ambassador Li Song, a number of misleading harm the public's health, termediate level of alert."
to prepare," Tedros said. deputy permanent repre- claims and hoaxes about such as false prevention In July, Tedros declared the
"Because 146 cases, by any sentative for China in Ge- the virus have circulated measures or cures." Ebola outbreak in Congo a
standard, is very low." neva, lashed out at flight online. They include false Tedros also addressed his global emergency: There
As governments clamp cancellations, visa deni- conspiracy theories that decision last week to clas- have been 3,421 cases
down on travel to China, als and refusals by some the virus was created in sify the virus outbreak as a and 2,242 deaths from it
airlines suspend flights countries to admit citizens a lab and that vaccines global emergency, saying since the outbreak began
and Chinese nationals fret of Hubei province — saying have already been manu- the move was prompted 18 months ago.
about rising xenophobia those moves went against factured, exaggerations by increased human-to- The WHO executive board,
and ostracism, WHO is cali- WHO recommendations. about the number of sick human spread of the virus which is starting a six-day
brating a message of praise Li noted how President Xi, and dead, and claims to numerous countries and meeting, plans to hold a
to Chinese officials and try- in his meeting with Tedros, about bogus cures. the fear it could have a sig- special technical session
ing to focus on the epicen- had said the coronavirus On Sunday, WHO lament- nificant impact on devel- on the virus Tuesday.q