The virus has hit approx­imatel­y 110 countr­ies leadin­g to over 4,000 deaths global­lyGENEVA: The World Health Organisation sees the outbreak of the new coronavirus as a pandemic, Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday. First Pakistani coronavirus patient in Italy passes awayBREAKING "We have therefore made the assessment that #COVID19 can be characterized as a pandemic"-@DrTedros #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/JqdsM2051A — World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) March 11, 2020Four countries account for 93% of the nearly 110,000 cases worldwide, Tedros said. The term ‘pandemic’ is referred to a disease that is spreading in multiple countries around the world at the same time. Therefore, governments and health systems need to ensure they are swotted to fight the health emergency. Worst pandemics in historyHIV/AIDS (at its peak, 2005-2012) – death toll: 36 million; cause: HIV/AIDSFlu (1968) – death toll: 1 million; cause: InfluenzaAsian flu (1956-1958) – death toll: 2 million; cause: InfluenzaAsian flu (1956-1958) – death toll: 2 million; cause: Influenza Flu (1918) – death toll: 20 -50 million; cause: InfluenzaSixth Cholera (1910-1911) – death toll: 800,000+; cause: CholeraSixth Cholera (1910-1911) – death toll: 800,000+; cause: Cholera Flu (1889-1890) – death toll: 1 million; cause: InfluenzaThird Cholera (1852–1860) – death toll: 1 million; cause: CholeraThird Cholera (1852–1860) – death toll: 1 million; cause: Cholera The Black Death (1346-1353) – death toll: 75 – 200 million; cause: Bubonic PlaguePlague of Justinian (541-542) – death toll: 25 million; cause: Bubonic PlagueAntonine plague (165 AD) – death toll: 5 million; cause: Unknown(With additional input from News Desk)Read full story

Source: The Express Tribune March 11, 2020 17:02 UTC