PHA-Exchange> UN AGENCY HAILS 'LANDMARK' ENTRY INTO FORCE OF GLOBAL HEALTH REGULATIONS

[claudio at hcmc.netnam.vn]

 from Vern Weitzel <vern at coombs.anu.edu.au> -----

The United Nations health agency announced the “landmark” entry into force 
today 
of a set of regulations aimed at making the world more secure from threats to 
global health, while minimizing disruption to travel, trade and economies.

The revised International Health Regulations represent “a major step forward 
in 
international public health security,” the World Health Organization (WHO) 
<"http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2007/pr31/en/index.html">said 
in 
a press release.

The legally-binding agreement will “significantly contribute to international 
public health security” by providing a new framework defining the rights, 
obligations, and procedures in ensuring international health security without 
unnecessary interference in international traffic and trade.

After the World Health Assembly reached agreement on the regulations in 2005, 
States party to it were given two years to assess their national capacities 
and 
develop actions plans to meet the requirements of the regulations, prior to 
their entry into force on 15 June 2007.

On taking effect, the regulations will improve the capacity of all countries 
to 
detect, assess, notify and respond to threats from diseases that may rapidly 
spread from one country to another, including a new human influenza virus and 
severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) - a flu-like disease that over a 
nine-month period in 2002-2003 infected more than 8,000 people, killing nearly 
10 per cent of them, mostly in China and elsewhere in Asia.

The threats also come from other public health emergencies that may affect 
populations across borders, such as chemical spills, leaks and dumping or 
nuclear meltdowns.

“SARS was a wake-up call for all of us.  It spread faster than we had 
predicted 
and was only contained through intensive cooperation between countries which 
prevented this new disease from gaining a foothold,” WHO Director-General Dr. 
Margaret Chan said.

“Today, the greatest threat to international public health security would be 
an 
influenza pandemic.  The threat of a pandemic has not receded, but 
implementation of the [regulations] will help the world to be better prepared 
for the possibility of a pandemic,” she added.

WHO says it has already developed and built an improved events management 
system 
to manage potential public health emergencies.  It has also built strategic 
operations centres at its Geneva headquarters and in regional offices around 
the 
world, which are available round-the-clock to manage emergencies.
In addition, WHO has been working with its partners to strengthen the Global 
Outbreak Alert and Response Network, which brings together experts from around 
the world to respond to disease emergencies.

In another development, WHO announced earlier this week that it is working 
with 
vaccine manufacturers to move ahead on plans to create a global stockpile of 
vaccine for the H5N1 avian influenza virus, or bird flu.

The announcement follows a request by the World Health Assembly last month for 
WHO to establish an international stockpile of the vaccine.

WHO also welcomed the announcement global pharmaceutical company 
GlaxoSmithKline 
that it will contribute to the global vaccine stockpile.  Omninvest of 
Hungary, 
Baxter and sanofi pasteur have also indicated their willingness to make some 
of 
their H5N1 vaccine available.

Dr. Chan welcomed the contributions from the vaccines industry, which she 
called “another significant step towards creating a global resource to help 
the 
world and especially to help developing countries in case of [a] major 
outbreak.”


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