The whole world must be on alert to deal with the spread of coronavirus, the World Health Organization has said as it urged countries to prepare so that they are ready to detect any cases that occur and isolate and treat the sick.

WHO will reconvene its expert committee on Thursday to decide whether to declare the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. There are now 7,183 confirmed cases of viral pneumonia caused by the virus and 170 deaths, all of them in China.

Just 68 cases have been confirmed outside China, in 15 countries, but in three countries, Germany, Vietnam and Japan, there has been human-to-human transmission, raising fears over the spread of the disease.

“The whole world needs to be on alert now. The whole world needs to take action and be ready for any cases that come from the epicentre or other epicentre that becomes established,” said Dr Michael Ryan, the head of the WHO health emergencies programme.

Q&A How can I protect myself and others from the coronavirus outbreak? Show Hide The World Health Organization is recommending that people take simple precautions to reduce exposure to and transmission of the coronavirus, for which there is no specific cure or vaccine. The UN agency advises people to: Frequently wash their hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or warm water and soap

Cover their mouth and nose with a flexed elbow or tissue when sneezing or coughing

Avoid close contact with anyone who has a fever or cough

Seek early medical help if they have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, and share their travel history with healthcare providers

Advice about face masks varies. Wearing them while out and about may offer some protection against both spreading and catching the virus via coughs and sneezes, but it is not a cast-iron guarantee of protection Many countries are now enforcing or recommending curfews or lockdowns. Check with your local authorities for up-to-date information about the situation in your area. In the UK, NHS advice is that anyone with symptoms should stay at home for at least 7 days. If you live with other people, they should stay at home for at least 14 days, to avoid spreading the infection outside the home.

He and the WHO director general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, praised China for its openness and its crackdown in Wuhan, the centre of the disease outbreak. “The fact that to date we have seen only 68 cases outside China and no deaths is due in no small part to the extraordinary efforts China has made,” said Tedros. “They are doing that at the expense of their economy and other factors.”

But China’s containment of the coronavirus, which emerged probably from wild animals sold for food in Wuhan’s seafood market, has only reduced the danger to the rest of the world, not removed it.

“The continued increase in cases and the evidence of human-to human transmission outside China are of course most deeply concerning,” he said. “Although the numbers outside China are still relatively small, they hold the potential for a much larger outbreak.”

The emergencies committee met on two days last week but backed off from declaring the outbreak of international concern, largely because the spread to other countries had not been extensive. The declaration, which was made in the Ebola outbreaks in west Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as the Sars epidemic, would attract resources to countries that have outbreaks and streamline the measures taken. Ryan warned that 194 countries implementing unilateral measures was a “potential recipe for disaster”.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The virus is thought to have originated in the Huanan seafood and live animal market in Wuhan. Photograph: Héctor Retamal/AFP via Getty Images

The evacuation of foreign nationals from Wuhan began with airlifts of hundreds of people by Japan and the US. A government-chartered plane carrying 206 Japanese nationals arrived in Tokyo from Wuhan on Wednesday morning. Two showed symptoms of pneumonia following scans, but a coronavirus diagnosis had not been confirmed, hospital representatives said. Two more were admitted to hospital. Seven others with symptoms such as coughs and fever will undergo tests.

The rest of the passengers were sent home with instructions to stay in and not mix with people for 14 days.

Officials in the US said a chartered plane had made a refuelling stop in Anchorage, Alaska, with about 240 US citizens onboard, including staff from the US consulate in Wuhan. The passengers were due to be re-screened in Anchorage and hospitals there were on alert to take any who needed medical tests or treatment.

The first cases in the Middle East were reported in the United Arab Emirates. Four members of a Chinese family who had been in Wuhan and arrived in the UAE on 16 January for a visit were confirmed to have the virus. All four are in a stable condition and under medical observation, the health ministry said. The Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) health committee met on Wednesday in the Saudi capital of Riyadh to discuss the virus and to unify Gulf efforts to prevent its spread, Bahrain’s state news agency BNA said.

There have been several suspected cases in African countries, although none have yet been confirmed.

The toll of the Wuhan coronavirus now exceeds the 5,327 confirmed cases in mainland China during the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) epidemic. The Sars outbreak killed more than 770 people globally, including 349 in mainland China. The death rate from Sars, caused by a more virulent member of the coronavirus family than the Wuhan strain appears to be, was more than 10%. So far, the death rate among confirmed cases of coronavirus is 2%, and may be less if there are many mild cases that do not end up in hospital, as experts believe.

Unicef said it had shipped six tonnes of respiratory masks and protective suits to Shanghai to protect health workers. “This coronavirus is spreading at a breakneck speed and it is important to put all the necessary resources into halting it,” said Unicef’s executive director, Henrietta Fore. “We may not know enough about the virus’s impact on children or how many may be affected – but we do know that close monitoring and prevention are key. Time is not on our side.”

British Airways said on Wednesday it had suspended all direct flights to and from mainland China after British authorities warned against “all but essential” travel to the country.