Your Excellency Mr Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Commissioner Amira El Fadil, WHO Regional Director Dr Matshidiso Moeti and Director John Nkengasong,Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends,First of all, I would like to say good morning, and thank you for the opportunity to brief you today and thank you also for the initiative in organizing this event.It’s hard to believe that only 52 days ago, WHO’s country office in China was notified of a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause in Wuhan city.In just seven weeks, this outbreak has captured the world’s attention, and rightly so, because it has the potential to cause severe political, social and economic upheaval.