The World Health Organization and the Chinese Communist Party accused of ignoring and disregarding the Post-SARS guidelines that may significantly help to slow down the spread of COVID-19, according to a recently published article.


WHO Ignored Early Warnings from Taiwan of Human-to-Human Transmission of the Virus

The World Health Organization allegedly received early warnings from Taiwan, suggesting that people n China were becoming ill because of human-to-human transmission even though Taiwan is not a member of the organization but had been in an "observer status" since 2017.

If the report of Taiwan was taken seriously by the WHO, it might help to slow down the spread of the virus. However, instead of investigating the possible human-to-human transmission of the virus, they rely on China's team, which was not also transparent in giving details about the new coronavirus.

WHO even released a statement six days after the warning from Taiwan saying, "based on the preliminary information from the Chinese investigative team, no evidence of significant human-to-human transmission and no health care worker infections have been reported." 

Following this, officials in Taiwan said that they also received an email from WHO telling them that their inquiry about the virus will not be posted on the organization's international website for the benefit of the member countries. 

Leslie Shedd, Foreign Affairs GOP spokesperson, said that "When you look at what our committee has discovered so far, it seems pretty clear that the WHO under Tedros Adhanom's leadership ignored its own legally binding regulations by ignoring warnings from Taiwan and their collaborating center."  

She also added that only if WHO under Adhanom's leadership informed the member states of the organization, then they were very much welcome to entertain it and educate the world about it. Shedd also asserted: "Unfortunately, their silence on this is deafening."


China Accused of Not Being Transparent about the New Virus

The virus could have been controlled if China was transparent in its reports. Chinese officials already knew that the virus that spread in Wuhan is 87 percent similar to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome that occurred in 2003 by Dec. 27. 

On Dec.30, many reports suggest that a laboratory in Wuhan reported that multiple patients tested positive for an unknown SARS.

This is not the first time that China was not transparent and honest about the virus. Michael McCaul, House Foreign Affairs Ranking Member and a representative from Texas, said: "In 2003, the Chinese Communist Party did not properly alert the world to SARS, causing a pandemic. In response, the world came together to implement new rules, including strict reporting requirements to the WHO so future pandemics would be averted,"


Violations of WHO and China Under the Updated International Health Regulation 

The International Health Regulation, which was first adopted by the Health Assembly in 1969, was updated in 2005 following the SARS outbreak. It was updated to make sure that the organization will be able to manage and control the international spread of an unprecedented virus.

The IHR updates global health security that includes the following:

  • Epidemic Alert and Response
  • Global Public Health Response to Natural Occurrence
  • Accidental Release or Deliberate Use of Biological and Chemical Agents or Radio Nuclear Material that Affect Health
  • Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome


The WHO Violated Guidelines Under Articles 9 and 10

In the revised IHR, it says that the WHO is supposed to investigate unofficial reports from sources, be it a member or non-member of the organization or media reports that pose a public health risk.

Instead of doing it, they did not investigate the early report and warning from Taiwan and rely on information from China's team.

Additionally, China violates as well the new IHR guidelines under articles 6 and 7, where state members of the WHO are obliged to provide the organization with all relevant public health information and lab test results, most especially if it is related to SARS within 24 hours. 

Instead of doing as to what is mandated by the new IHR to WHO and China, they instead ignore it that leads to a global pandemic. COVID-19 has now infected more than 3.7 million and claimed the lives of more than 259,000, according to worldometers.

If the early warning from Taiwan was investigated immediately, and if China reported within 24 hours that a new coronavirus emerged, there was a big chance that the spread of the virus was controlled and contained.  

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