Europe is now the "epicentre" of the COVID-19 outbreak, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said.
Health officials say there are now more reported cases and deaths in Europe than the rest of the world combined, apart from China where the outbreak began late last year.
More cases are now being reported every day than were reported in China at the height of the epidemic there.
Over 132,000 cases of the coronavirus have now been reported around the world, with the WHO saying the death poll has passed the "tragic milestone" of 5,000 people.
Italy remains the worst affected country in Europe, while Spain has today declared a state of emergency as the number of cases there continues to increase.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus today warned that a large outbreak "can happen to anyone" and it would be a deadly mistake for any country to assume otherwise.
"Even if you cannot stop #COVID19 transmission, you can slow it down and save lives"-@DrTedros #coronavirus
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) March 13, 2020
He said: "The experience of China, South Korea, Singapore and others clearly demonstrates that aggressive testing and contact tracing, combined with social distancing measures and community mobilization, can prevent COVID-19 infections and save lives.
"Our message to countries continues to be: you must take a comprehensive approach.
"Not testing alone. Not contact tracing alone. Not quarantine alone. Not social distancing alone. Do it all"
He said Japan is showing that a "whole-of-government approach" - led there by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe - is also a potentially crucial step in reducing transmission of the virus, alongside robust investigations into outbreak clusters.
The WHO chief also noted that governments, businesses and individuals must follow official advice - including "not just let this fire burn" and to instead "isolate the sick & quarantine their contacts".
They're repeating their advice to members of the public - such as following hygiene measures (including frequent hand-washing) and avoiding large gatherings.
Everyone is being urged to comply with the advice local and national health authorities, and also to make sure to find & share only reliable information about the outbreak.
