Is there a significant risk for international travel or trade restrictions? Information on PHEIC was manly obtained from WHO sources. Here we review how PHEIC are formally declared, the diseases for which such declarations have been made from 2007 to 2020 and justifications for such declarations. IHR includes specific measures at ports, airports and ground crossings to limit the spread of health risks to neighbouring countries, and to prevent unwarranted travel and trade restrictions so that traffic and trade disruption is kept to a minimum. Through IHR, countries have agreed to build their capacities to detect, assess and report public health events.

The IHR are an instrument of international law that is legally binding on 196 countries, including the 194 WHO Member States. 2 The IHR provide an overarching legal framework that defines countries’ rights and obligations in handling public health events and emergencies that have the potential to cross borders. Declaring public health emergencies of international concern (PHEIC) is a cornerstone of the IHR. 1 The IHR is one of the six leadership priorities of the WHO programme of work, the purpose of which is to promote health and well-being. The International Health Regulations (IHR) have been the governing framework for global health security for the past decade and are a nearly universally recognized World Health Organization (WHO) treaty, with 196 States Parties.

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