Public Health Emergency of International Concern
A Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) is a significant health crisis recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) that poses a risk to global health. This designation is guided by the International Health Regulations (IHR), which require countries to respond promptly to prevent the spread of disease across borders. The determination of a PHEIC is made by the IHR Emergency Committee, comprised of international health experts, and can include crises stemming from infectious diseases as well as public health hazards such as chemical or radioactive threats.
PHEICs are declared during serious and unexpected health events that could impact large populations, necessitating coordinated international action. The WHO first consults with local health authorities to assess the situation before making a declaration. Since the establishment of the IHR in 2005, the WHO has declared a PHEIC on six occasions, including notable events such as the swine flu outbreak in 2009, multiple Ebola outbreaks, and most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. This framework underscores the importance of international cooperation in addressing public health emergencies and safeguarding global health security.
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Public Health Emergency of International Concern
A Public Health Emergency of International Concern(PHEIC) is an emergency declaration formally announced by the World Health Organization (WHO) in response to a crisis of international proportions that can affect people’s health. Such a declaration may require immediate action at a global level against the international spread of disease. A PHEIC is subject to the International Health Regulations (IHR), which require those states involved to promptly respond to the crisis at hand. PHEICs are decided upon by a governing body of international experts known as the IHR Emergency Committee, a group formed in the aftermath of the 2002–2004 SARS outbreak. The declaration is reviewed on a tri-monthly basis and renewed as needed. However, certain disease outbreaks can be declared a PHEIC without the approval of the IHR. Alongside infectious disease, a PHEIC can also be declared in response to outbreaks of public health hazards such as chemical agents or radioactive materials.
Overview
A PHEIC is determined per the stipulations provided in the International Health Regulations (IHR). The IHR were adopted by the Health Assembly in 1969 in an effort to prevent the spread of disease across national borders. Following the chaotic global outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) that lasted between 2002 and 2004, revisions were made to the IHR to account for such global emergencies. A new IHR was adopted at the 58th World Health Assembly in May 2005. The IHR 2005 was an international agreement among 196 countries committed to upholding global health security. WHO was deemed the coordinating body of this agreement.
The new IHR introduced a novel health designation it called a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). WHO was in charge of determining when a PHEIC could be declared, and provided the defining characteristics of the event. The IHR defines a PHEIC as “an extraordinary event which is determined to constitute a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease and to potentially require a coordinated international response.” PHEICs are declared in the event of serious, sudden, unusual, or unexpected global health crises that have the potential to affect large amounts of the global population and may require immediate action on the part of the international community.
When a situation is under consideration as a PHEIC, WHO’s first action is to consult with the leading health authorities of the region or regions in which the health event is occurring. If WHO and state authorities determine the crisis is a prospective PHEIC, WHO then assembles a group of international health experts known as the Emergency Committee to examine the crisis and make recommendations. These recommendations are weighed against scientific evidence and principles, which helps WHO determine the overall risk to human health and the potential virulence and spreadability of the disease.
WHO has declared a PHEIC six times since 2009. A PHEIC was declared in 2009 following the outbreak of the swine flu. In 2014, two were declared for a polio outbreak in the Middle East and an Ebola outbreak in West Africa. In 2016, WHO declared a PHEIC for the Zika virus outbreak. Another was declared in 2019 following the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In January 2020, WHO declared the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak a PHEIC.
Bibliography
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