A member of the medical team of the Second Military Medical University puts on protective clothing at Hankou Hospital in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 27, 2020. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

"China's performance received compliments from all over the world, which, as WHO's current director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, has set a new standard for countries around the world in epidemic prevention and control," former WHO chief said.

by Annie Cheung, Gao Jie, Zhu Yuxuan

HONG KONG, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- "This is a scientific judgment, a prudent and reasonable decision, with the aim to better control the epidemic and prevent it from spreading around the world," Margaret Chan, former director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), commented after the organization announced the novel coronavirus outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

"Human-to-human infections have been found in three countries outside China and none of the patients involved have visited China, prompting the WHO to make such a scientific judgement," Chan said in an interview with Xinhua on Friday.

Chan stressed the decision did not target China nor did it mean the WHO distrusted China's ability to handle the epidemic.

The decision was made to call on other countries to take measures to prevent and control the outbreak, she said.