The UN health agency on Tuesday announced that"COVID-19" will be the official name of the deadly virus from China, saying the disease represented a"very grave threat" for the world but there was a"realistic chance" of stopping it.
Tedros said the name had been chosen to avoid references to a specific geographical location, animal species or group of people in line with international recommendations for naming aimed at preventing stigmatisation. More general names such as"Middle East Respiratory Syndrome" or"Spanish flu" are also now avoided as they can stigmatise entire regions or ethnic groups.
People's names -- usually the scientists who identified the disease -- are also banned, as are"terms that incite undue fear" such as"unknown" or"fatal", the WHO said.The virus has killed more than 1,000 people, infected over 42,000 and reached some 25 countries, with the WHO declaring a global health emergency.
Participants will also discuss the source of the virus, which is thought to have originated in bats and reached humans via other"intermediary" species such as snakes or pangolins.It was unclear, however, whether the team would be able to visit Wuhan, a city in central China which has been under lockdown after the outbreak was registered in a food and live animal market in the city.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: The Straits Times - 🏆 8. / 63 Read more »
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »
Source: BusinessTimes - 🏆 15. / 51 Read more »
Source: BusinessTimes - 🏆 15. / 51 Read more »