After SARS, WHO toughens up global emergency health response

By Heather Lima Jun 14, 2007, 14:23 GMT

Geneva - The whole world was put on alert in 2003 when the potentially fatal respiratory disease SARS swept across China and other Asian countries eventually reaching as far afield as Canada. There were 8,500 cases and 799 deaths before Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome was brought under control.

'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,' said Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization, WHO.

The speed at which SARS was carried to 27 countries by May 2003 was a reminder of the vulnerability of individual states. According to WHO, no individual country can protect itself from diseases and other public health threats worldwide.

'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 IHR (International Health Regulations) will help the world to be better prepared for the possibility of a pandemic,' said Chan.

The deadly strain of H5N1 bird influenza and fears that it could mutate, triggering a pandemic are at the centre of global health fears today. Around 190 people have died so far, 80 of them in Indonesia.

The only way WHO can fight threats to global health is with the cooperation of countries and the rules are laid down in the IHR.

First introduced in 1969, they are legally binding regulations adopted by most countries to prevent diseases spread from one state to another. They also cover threats from other public health emergencies that may affect cross borders, such as chemical spills, leaks and nuclear melt-downs.

New social, economic and environmental pressures of the 21st century have created unique conditions allowing new and re-emerging infectious disease to spread as never before, according to WHO.

As a result, the organization has been beefing up its emergency response mechanisms. It has developed a nerve centre at its Geneva headquarters to deal with international emergencies round the clock.

It has also strengthened the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), which brings together experts from around the world to respond to disease outbreaks. Not least, on Friday new revised IHR are due to come into force.

Among the changes, countries will now be required to notify 'all events that may constitute a public health emergency of international concern' with 24 hours of assessment. They will also have to set up core surveillance and response mechanisms within five years.

The new measures will grant some protection for international travellers for the first time, requiring that they be treated with respect and their freedom in any health emergency.

'Implementing the IHR is a collective responsibility and depends on the capacity of all countries to fulfil the new requirements,' said Dr David Heymann, WHO Assistant Director-General for Communicable Diseases.

'WHO will help countries to strengthen the necessary capacities to fully implement the Regulations. This is our responsibility and we expect that the entire international community is committed to the same goal of improving international public health security.'