WHO runs disease outbreak simulation

GENEVA – The World Health Organization is testing its ability to respond to a major disease outbreak in Asia by running a real-time simulation.

The global health body says hundreds of staff are involved in the exercise at its headquarters in Geneva. WHO centers in the Philippines, India, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos are also involved.

Spokesman Gregory Hartl says the simulation scheduled Wednesday involves a pretend outbreak of an unidentified fatal disease in Thailand.

Hartl stresses that the exercise is for training purposes only and is not an actual emergency.– AP