IHR News
The WHO quarterly bulletin on IHR implementation
What's new in IHR coordination and support
Report to the 126th Executive Board on the Implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005)
This year's report to WHO's Executive Board summarizes information received from States Parties as well as WHO activities in this area, including those relating to the (H1N1) 2009 pandemic. In line with World Health Assembly Resolution 61.2 and Article 54.2 of the IHR, the report to be submitted to the 63rd Health Assembly in May 2010 will, in addition, include the draft plan of an IHR Review Committee on the functioning of the IHR and relevant technical issues (please see item below).
- http://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB126/B126_5-en.pdf
- http://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB126/B126_5-fr.pdf
- http://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB126/B126_5-sp.pdf
- http://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB126/B126_5-ru.pdf
- http://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB126/B126_5-ar.pdf
- http://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB126/B126_5-ch.pdf
IHR Review Committee
The Executive Board at its 126th session welcomed the Director-General’s proposal to convene the IHR Review Committee as set out in Chapter III of Part IX of the IHR and to request it to review the experience gained in the global response to pandemic (H1N1) 2009. The draft plan of the Review Committee, agreed by the Executive Board, has the following objectives: i) to assess the functioning of the Regulations in relation to the current pandemic (H1N1) 2009 and other public health events; (ii) to review the scope, appropriateness, effectiveness, and responsiveness of global actions as well as the role of the WHO Secretariat in supporting pandemic preparedness, alert and response in relation to the pandemic; and (iii) based on the above, to identify and review the major lessons learnt from the global response to the current pandemic and to recommend actions to be taken by Member States and the Director-General to strengthen the preparedness and response to potential future influenza pandemics and other public health emergencies.
Checklist and indicators for IHR implementation
WHO has developed a reporting format designed for use by each State Party to provide standardized information on the progress of its implementation of the IHR (2005). This was circulated to the IHR National Focal Points in February 2010. The World Health Assembly has requested that States Parties report annually to the Health Assembly on the implementation of the Regulations. This new tool will facilitate the preparation of annual reports as well as allow the States Parties to monitor their own progress in developing and strengthening their IHR core capacities.
Release of International Travel and Health (ITH), 2010 edition
The 2010 edition of the WHO publication, International Travel and Health is now available online on the ITH homepage. This edition includes new information on infectious diseases and on all vaccine preventable diseases and vaccines. It also includes information for travelers with HIV/AIDS, and updates on yellow fever and malaria. The ITH web site also features:
- an interactive map for yellow fever and malaria country requirements and information
- updated and improved disease distribution maps
- latest updates for travelers
- country web links on travel and health
- regional and national web links for societies of travel and medicine
- a poster for health clinics.
The Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Russian versions will also soon be made available on the ITH web site.
Launch of IHR i-course
On 22 March, WHO launched the first session of the IHR implementation course, with 37 participants from 32 countries from the six WHO regions comprising professionals working in the areas of communicable diseases, laboratory diagnostics, capacity building as well as policy analysts, university professors and lawyers. The novelty of the IHR requirements, which apply to virtually all countries around the world, and the evolving world environment call for a global effort to increase IHR awareness and attain specific training. This training is the first step towards addressing the existing gaps in education programmes and it encompasses all the necessary disciplines that you will then be able to transfer to your institutions and colleagues. The design and implementation of this first session of the course was made possible thanks to the funding support of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Fondation Mérieux, France.
The second session of the course will take place from 13 September 2010 to 21 January 2011. Apply now! send an e-mail to ihrinfo@who.int; subject; REQUEST FOR APPLICATION TO IHR i-COURSE 2.
IHR express quiz
The IHR training site has been updated and now features the IHR express quiz, accessible without a user login. The quiz was developed to enhance understanding and application of the Regulations. It is user-friendly and comprises 9 true/false statements designed to clarify common IHR misconceptions. The updated training site also now includes the Arabic and Chinese versions of the Introduction to IHR module and a new interface.
IHR authorized list of ports
All States Parties to the IHR are required to provide to WHO a list of all ports authorized by the State Party to issue the following Ship Sanitation Certificates (SSC):
- Ship sanitation control exemption certificates
- Ship sanitation control certificates only
- Extensions to the ship sanitation certificates.
This list of authorized ports is comprised of information submitted by the States Parties to WHO. WHO publishes this information in accordance with the requirements of the IHR and the list is updated upon receipt of new information from States Parties. The latest update (31 March 2010) is available at: