WHO Nears Deal on New Pandemic Response Rules

May 25, 2024

The 194 member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) are about to finish two years of talks in Geneva on new rules for how to respond to a pandemic. The main goal of these talks is to strengthen global defences against future pandemics. They are very important for updating current health protocols and making a new legally binding treaty. These talks were sparked by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which killed millions of people around the world.

The Pandemic Treaty

The suggested pandemic treaty aims to fix the problems with the current International Health Regulations (2005), which were thought to be not good enough during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though these rules worked well for local health problems like the Ebola outbreak, they weren’t enough to handle a global pandemic. The treaty aims to make sure that everyone has equal access to medical resources like vaccines by suggesting that the WHO set aside about 20% of these resources to give to poorer countries during health crises.

Revamping International Health Regulations (IHR)

A more complex alert system is being considered for the IHR. It will include a “early action alert” in addition to the present system that only recognizes a “public health emergency of international concern” (PHEIC). The goal of this change is to make it easier for the whole world to respond faster and in more ways to new health threats. More changes are being made to make states more responsible for reporting public health events. The present language of “may” is being changed to “should.”

International Disagreements and Negotiations

Developed and developing countries have had major differences during negotiations, especially about how to divide up medical resources and who is responsible for paying for them. These disagreements have slowed down the negotiations and forced last-minute talks to stay on track. Political pressures, especially from groups on the right that care about national security, have made the talks even more difficult.

More About International Health Regulations (2005)

Overview and Purpose:

The International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) are legally binding rules for 196 countries, effective from June 2007.
These regulations aim to build capacity for and respond to public health risks while avoiding unnecessary interference with international traffic and trade.
They were revised following the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak to better address global public health emergencies.

Key Provisions and Scope:

The IHR (2005) mandates countries to report events of international concern within 24 hours.
Traditional focus on communicable diseases.
Addressing chemical hazards that pose public health risks.
Including radiological emergencies that could impact health.

Tools and Evaluation:

To ensure compliance and effective implementation, the IHR introduced the State Party Self-Assessment Annual Reporting tool.
This tool helps countries assess their capacities and readiness.

Additionally, the World Health Organization (WHO) plays a crucial role in evaluating global alert system responses and capabilities in real-time public health emergencies under these regulations.

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