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International Health Regulations and global health
The International Health Regulations (IHR) of 2005 are a binding agreement in which states undertake to detect, assess and report to the World Health Organization events that may constitute an international health emergency – without imposing trade and travel restrictions beyond what is needed.
Why it matters in the exam
Items on this topic ask what characterizes the regulations: they legally bind the member states, apply to any health event rather than a closed list of diseases, require each state to set up a National IHR Focal Point and build core surveillance and response capacities, and require notification to the World Health Organization within 24 hours of assessing an event that may constitute a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). Also tested is the decision instrument in Annex 2: four questions – is the public-health impact serious, is the event unusual or unexpected, is there a risk of international spread, and is there a risk of trade or travel restrictions – and a yes to two of them requires notification. Four diseases must always be notified, among them polio due to wild-type virus, human influenza caused by a new subtype and SARS. Other items deal with global-health concepts: the Sustainable Development Goals (17 goals, goal 3 for health), universal health coverage, the Alma-Ata declaration on primary health care, and the contribution of globalization to the spread of disease through trade, tourism and migration. In 2024 amendments were adopted that added a category of "pandemic emergency".
Key points
- The International Health Regulations of 2005 legally bind the member states.
- Each state sets up a national focal point and builds surveillance and response capacities.
- Notification within 24 hours of an event that may be a public health emergency of international concern.
- The Annex 2 decision instrument checks seriousness, unusualness, spread and restrictions.
- Goal 3 of the Sustainable Development Goals deals with health.
Summary table
| Element | What it sets | Exam point |
|---|---|---|
| Legal status | A binding agreement for member states | Not merely a recommendation |
| Scope | Any health event that may spread between countries | Not a closed list of diseases |
| National focal point | A contact point always available to the World Health Organization | In Israel – in the Ministry of Health |
| Notification | Within 24 hours of the assessment | Using the Annex 2 decision instrument |
| Decision instrument | Seriousness, unusualness, risk of spread, risk of restrictions – two out of four | Four diseases are always notifiable |
| Measures at borders | Health measures at ports and airports, without unnecessary restrictions | Balancing health with trade and travel |
A free exam question
כיצד תורם תהליך הגלובליזציה על התפשטות נגיף הקורונה החדש בעולם? (the question as examined, in Hebrew)
- א. תהליך הגלובליזציה לא היה רלוונטי להתפשטות נגיף הקורונה החדש בעולם
- ב. תרם להסתרת מידע על ממדי התפשטות המחלה על ידי ארצות מסוימות
- ג. הקשה על העברת הנגיף בין מדינות העולם
- ד. תרם לשיתוף מידע רפואי ומדעי בין מדינות
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Sources
- WHO, International Health Regulations (2005), 3rd ed., 2016; amendments adopted 2024 — Notification; Annex 2 decision instrument
- United Nations, Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, 2015 — Goal 3 – health and well-being
- WHO, Declaration of Alma-Ata and Declaration of Astana, 1978 and 2018 — Primary health care
Sources are given for further reading; the text is written afresh and not copied from them.
Reviewed by the Examqo AI Professor · 2026-11-06. The text may contain errors; when in doubt, check the source.