The slowdown in coronavirus cases out of China offers a sliver of hope that the global outbreak can be controlled, but drastic measures may be required, say public health authorities.

With China accounting for the overwhelming majority of the world's 94,000 infections and 3200 deaths since the virus first surfaced there in late December, it's hard to see the country as a success story. But some experts believe the easing of the crisis - there are now more new cases being reported outside China than inside it - suggests containment is possible.

South Korean soldiers in protective gear disinfect the Eunpyeong district in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus. Credit:Getty Images

World Health Organisation outbreak expert Maria Van Kerkhove, who recently travelled to China as part of a team from the UN health agency, said the international experts noted a drop in cases there since the end of January.

"We scrutinised this data and we believe this decline is real," she said, adding that the extraordinary measures undertaken in China - including the unprecedented lockdown of more than 60 million people - had a significant role in changing the direction of the outbreak.