The World Health Organization is on its way to China, on an international mission to urgently further understand the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) that has infected tens of thousands of people in Wuhan and beyond. Dr. Bernhard Schwartländer, WHO Chief of Staff and Assistant Director-General, says the mission may go to Wuhan — or to another high-impact area, to avoid distracting from strained resources in the epicenter. He says China has helped secure the safety of the world by taking drastic action to contain the virus, pointing to the comparatively low number of infections globally. Dr. Schwartländer speaks to James Chau in this interview, sharing his insights on what the likely length of the outbreak might be, and why it is critical to mobilize a community-led movement to end it.

Millions have been watching the live feeds of China turning empty city lots into fully-functional emergency hospitals in just 10 days. These hospitals are equipped with thousands of patient beds and medical technology – and staffed by military doctors with first-hand experience battling Ebola in West Africa. These modern, makeshift facilities are being built at a time when local hospitals are overwhelmed and local gymnasiums are being repurposed to provide extra beds. Step by step, China seems to be catching up with the wide-spreading virus. Follow us for the latest stories in our special coverage on the novel outbreak.

In her first interview since the outbreak of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), Dr Margaret Chan looks at the implications as the number of infections and deaths climb. For over a decade, Dr Chan was Director-General of the World Health Organization, managing outbreaks from Zika, to polio, and the Ebola epidemic in West Africa that claimed 11,323 lives. All of these were declared a public health emergency of international concern - as has the current outbreak of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) by her successor, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. I first met Dr Chan during SARS when she was Director of Health in Hong Kong, and later served her and now Dr Tedros as a WHO Goodwill Ambassador. In this podcast, I wanted to draw out her deep experience in handling infectious diseases, to understand what this global health emergency means, and - in a world at acute risk for disease epidemics and pandemics - what governments and individuals can do to prepare now. Interview with James Chau. You can watch video highlights from this video by following @thechinacurrent on social media or www.thechinacurrent.com