IHR News
The WHO quarterly bulletin on IHR implementation
What's new in IHR coordination and support?
EB 124th session 19-27 January 2009: Report to the Executive Board
This report provides an account of the Secretariat’s IHR (2005) implementation activities since its report to the 61st World Health Assembly. It also summarizes information received by WHO with respect to the activities carried out by States Parties to implement the IHR for the period 15 June 2007 to May 2008 and provides details on the International Food Safety Network (INFOSAN). The report is now available on line in the six official WHO languages:
- English[pdf 49kb]
- French[pdf 101kb]
- Spanish[pdf 101kb]
- Arabic[pdf 113kb]
- Russian[pdf 250kb]
- Chinese[pdf 325kb]
States Parties report to WHO on IHR implementation
In February 2008, a questionnaire was sent to all 194 States Parties to the IHR requesting information on progress achieved in implementation of the Regulations since their entry into force on 15 June 2007. WHO summarized the information received from the 144 States Parties that responded and sent this report to National IHR Focal Points in December 2008. For highlights from this summary, please see document EB124/5 at
(Available in the six official WHO languages – please refer to above item)
Meeting on non chemical methods and requirements for aircraft disinsection, 15-16 December 2008, Gainesville and Orlando, Florida
The purpose of this meeting was to review and consider the relevant provisions of IHR documents and country experiences on the development of methods for aircraft disinsection and to develop a proposal for assessing the potential of non-chemical methods of aircraft disinsection (in cabins, flight decks and cargo holds), with regard to effectiveness, safety and operational feasibility. The meeting targeted experts with practical experience on regulatory and implementation issues in aircraft disinsection and included participants from the international air transport sector, such as ICAO, IATA, ACI, ITF1 and WHO representatives from several regions.
Informal consultation on the development of an International Training Programme “International Health Regulations: Creating the framework for global public health security”, 2-3 December 2008, Geneva, Switzerland
This meeting gathered 10 participants from the University of Pretoria South Africa, Georgetown University Law Centre USA, the Universities of Lausanne and Geneva Switzerland, and IHR Coordination (WHO Lyon Office and Geneva), to work on the design of a training programme to strengthen/develop the critical human resources needed to set-up and manage systems for achieving global public health security in the framework of IHR implementation. This meeting made it possible to agree a draft project document to be finalized by January 2009 and shared with key stakeholders within WHO and with external partners. For more information please contact ihrinfo@who.int
IHR indicators database meeting, 27-29 November 2008, Geneva, Switzerland
In order for WHO to monitor implementation of core capacities for the IHR, a limited number of indicators for measuring progress of country implementation of IHR are being developed in collaboration with the WHO Regional Offices, Member States and partners. This consultation provided a platform for sharing experiences and expertise, for identifying ways to link systems and for designing electronic automated monitoring systems. The meeting included experts from eight WHO programmes and from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Workshop on training programmes integrating public health laboratory and applied epidemiology, 3 November 2008, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
This event, that took place during the 5th Scientific Global TEPHINET Conference, aimed to describe the diverse models that have been developed to integrate field epidemiology and laboratory issues into existing training programmes. The workshop gathered 30 experts engaged in the implementation of such programmes from all regions of the World. For more information please contact ihrinfo@who.int
International consultation, “Cities and public health crises”, 28-30 October 2008, Lyon, France
The WHO Lyon Office for support to IHR implementation, in collaboration with the world competitive cluster Lyonbiopôle (www.lyonbiopole.org), convened the international consultation, “Cities and public health crises” on 29-30 October 2008 in Lyon, France. This technical consultation brought together over 70 experts to identify and address the specific challenges posed by public health emergencies that occur in urban settings, particularly in large and mega cities. The findings will contribute to the development of WHO guidelines for public health and municipal authorities. They will also add to the preparation of the BioVision 2009 conference in Lyon from 8-11 March 2009 entitled “Life in the City: Managing urban epidemics” (www.biovision.org/)
WHO technical consultation on Annex 2 of the IHR, 20-22 October 2008, Geneva, Switzerland
From 20-22 October 2008, WHO convened a technical consultation on the "Implementation and Evaluation of Annex 2 of the IHR (2005)", in Geneva, with participants from all six WHO regions. The objectives of the consultation were to (1) finalize the "Interim Guidance on the use of Annex 2 of the IHR (2005)"; and (2) identify appropriate methodologies for the studies to review and evaluate the functioning of Annex 2. A summary report of the consultation will be posted on the IHR web site at
Laboratory management skills training course, 13-24 October 2008, Lyon, France
From 13-24 October 2008 the WHO Lyon Office, in collaboration with the WHO Regional Office for Africa, held the training course Laboratory management and skills strengthening for the diagnosis of epidemic-prone diseases, in Lyon, France. This course concluded the “Integrated Capacity Development Programme for Laboratory Specialists” for French-speaking countries from the African region. A total of 27 participants, including senior laboratory specialists, directors of public health laboratories and epidemiologists from Benin, Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal attended. Since 2001, 29 countries have enrolled in the Programme and are now active partners in the development of their national laboratories’ capacity. For further information, please see:
IHR workshop on ship sanitation issues, 13-17 October 2008, Sines, Portugal
This event, co-organized by IHR Coordination, Lyon and the Directorate-General of Health of Portugal, focused on developing core capacities at points of entry and on the inspection and issuance of Ship Sanitation Certificates for Portuguese-speaking countries. The objectives were to develop a common approach for training programmes on ship sanitation inspections and to facilitate the collaboration and communication between health professionals of port authorities to enhance the successful implementation of the IHR in Portuguese-speaking countries. The workshop comprised participants from Angola; Brazil; Cape Verde; China, Macau SAR; Mozambique; Sao Tomé and Príncipe; and Portugal. For more information please contact ihrtransport@who.int
1International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), International Air Transport Association (IATA), Airport Council International (ACI), International Transport Worker’s Federation, (ITF).