U.S. calls for WHO reforms, timely information on outbreaks

FILE PHOTO: ADM Brett Giroir, MD, Assistant Secretary For Health, United States Department of Health and Human Services, testifies before a U.S. Senate Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee at a hearing to examine COVID-19, focusing on an update on the federal response at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 23, 2020. Graeme Jennings/Pool via REUTERS

The United States, in apparent criticism of China, said on Monday that it could not tolerate the "failure" of a member state of the World Health Organization (WHO) to provide accurate, complete and timely information about disease outbreaks.

U.S. assistant health secretary Brett Giroir, speaking to the WHO Executive Board, also called for acting on proposed WHO reforms by countries including the United States, Germany, France and Chile.

Giroir, as well as the European Union and Australia called for launching an international WHO-led mission to China to investigate the origin of the virus which emerged late last year. Earlier, WHO emergency chief Mike Ryan said that a list of experts had been submitted to China for consideration.

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay and Emma Farge)