Global Health-CS1

9 /4 /2 017 W HO | H ealt h s e cu rit y : is th e w orld b ette r p re pare d? h ttp ://w ww.w ho.in t/p ublic a tio ns/1 0-y e ar-re vie w /h ealt h -s e cu rit y /e n/ 1 /3 H ealt h s ecu rit y : is t h e w orld b ette r p re p are d ?

A d is ease o utb re ak b est d em onstr a te s t h e a cu te n eed f o r a g uard ia n o f h ealt h . L esso ns le arn ed f r o m t h e W est A fr ic a E bola o utb re ak in 2 014 c ata ly ze d t h e c re atio n o f a n ew H ealt h E m erg en cie s P ro gra m me, e n ab lin g a f a ste r, m ore e ffe ctiv e r e sp onse t o o utb re aks a n d e m erg en cie s. W HO h elp s c o untr ie s i m ple m en t t h e In te rn atio nal H ealt h R eg ula tio ns a n d g uid es R &D c o lla b ora tio n t o d evelo p n ew v accin es a n d t r e atm en ts f o r e p id em ic - p ro ne d is eases. T he r e sp onse t o s u bseq uen t o utb re aks o f Z ik a a n d y ello w f e ver h as im pro ved b ut m ore w ork is n eed ed t o e n su re t h at t h e w orld is b ette r p re p are d t o h an dle t h e n ext e p id em ic .

U N P hoto /A lb ert G onza le z F arra n H ealt h s ecu rit y M anagin g th e g lo bal r e gim e fo r c o ntr o llin g th e in te rn atio nal s p re ad o f i n fe ctio us d is e ase s is a c e ntr a l a nd h is to ric a l r e sp onsib ilit y o f W HO . T he I n te rn atio nal H ealt h R egula tio ns, a dm in is te re d b y W HO , p ro vid e th e l e gal in str u m ent fo r d oin g s o . T hese r e gula tio ns a re th e o nly i n te rn atio nally -a gre ed s e t o f r u le s g ove rn in g th e tim ely a nd e ff e ctiv e r e sp onse to o utb re aks a nd o th er h ealt h e m erg encie s th at m ay s p re ad b eyo nd th e b ord ers o f a n a ff e cte d c o untr y . Y et fe w er th an a th ir d o f W HO M em ber S ta te s m eet th e m in im um r e quir e m ents fo r c o re c a pacit ie s n eeded to im ple m ent th e IH R. T his is th e s it u atio n n early te n y e ars a fte r t h e r e gula tio ns e nte re d in to fo rc e .

A t th e s a m e tim e, th e fa cto rs th at g ove rn g lo bal h ealt h s e cu rit y e xte nd w ell b eyo nd th e m andate o f W HO a nd it s c a pacit y to r e sp ond. M uch r e sp onsib ilit y fa lls to c o untr ie s. In lin e w it h IH R p ro vis io ns, a ff e cte d c o untr ie s n eed to r e port u nusu al d is e ase e ve nts p ro m ptly a nd o penly . 9 /4 /2 017 W HO | H ealt h s e cu rit y : is th e w orld b ette r p re pare d? h ttp ://w ww.w ho.in t/p ublic a tio ns/1 0-y e ar-re vie w /h ealt h -s e cu rit y /e n/ 2 /3 " C ountr ie s w it h w ell- f u nctio nin g a nd in clu siv e h ealt h s yste m s a re m ore l ik e ly to c a tc h a n o utb re ak e arly w hen th e c h ance s o f r a pid c o nta in m ent a re b est." D r C han , W HO D ir e cto r-G en era l W hen th ey d o s o , o th er c o untr ie s n eed to s to p p unis h in g th em b y i m posin g u nju stif ie d r e str ic tio ns o n tr a ve l a nd tr a de.

A p ro m is e o f fin ancia l a nd te ch nic a l s u pport is a p ow erfu l in ce ntiv e fo r e arly r e portin g, b ut is o fte n im peded b y a n in adequate r e sp onse fr o m th e i n te rn atio nal c o m munit y . A s a bundant e xp erie nce s h ow s, p ro m pt a nd t r a nsp are nt r e portin g is c o m pro m is e d w hen th e c e rta in ty o f e co nom ic d am age o utw eig hs th e p ro sp ect o f fin ancia l a nd te ch nic a l s u pport.

I m ple m enta tio n o f th e IH R r e quir e s t h at c o untr ie s m ove o ut o f th e s a nctu ary o f n atio nal s o ve re ig nty in t h e in te re st o f th e c o m mon g ood.

F or e xa m ple , c o untr ie s m ust b e w illin g to is su e v is a s fo r fo re ig n e m erg ency r e sp onders , le t th em i n ve stig ate , a nd g ra nt th em fu ll a nd u nfe tte re d a cce ss to d ata a nd r e co rd s. C ountr ie s a nd a ir lin es m ust a gre e to s e nd p atie nt s a m ple s to W HO c o lla bora tin g c e ntr e s w it h d esig nate d e xp ertis e in th e h andlin g a nd a naly sis o f d angero us o r u nusu al p ath ogens. M any W HO -le d r e sp onse s to o utb re aks h ave b een d ela ye d o r e ncu m bere d w hen c o untr ie s e xe rc is e th eir s o ve re ig n r ig ht to r e fu se in te rn atio nal c o lla bora tio n, r e gard in g it a s u nw elc o m e in te rfe re nce w it h n atio nal a ff a ir s .

A bove a ll, to p re ve nt a noth er d eva sta tin g e ve nt lik e th e E bola o utb re ak i n W est A fr ic a , c o untr ie s n eed r e silie nt a nd in clu siv e h ealt h s yste m s th at e xte nd to r u ra l a re as, a s e nsit iv e e arly w arn in g s yste m c o uple d w it h r a pid r e sp onse c a pacit y , a nd in fo rm ed a nd e ngaged c o m munit ie s th at t r u st th eir g ove rn m ent a nd th e h ealt h s e rv ic e s it p ro vid es. C ountr ie s a ls o n eed a cce ss to e ff e ctiv e a nd a ff o rd able v a ccin es, d ia gnostic s a nd t r e atm ents ( w hen th ese e xis t) , o uts ta ndin g la bora to ry a nd lo gis tic s c a pacit y , a nd s a fe a nd a bundant tr e atm ent fa cilit ie s, p ro perly s ta ff e d a nd e quip ped.

T he w orld h as a lo ng w ay to g o b efo re r e ach in g s u ch a le ve l o f p re pare dness. A n e stim ate d 4 00 m illio n p eople h ave n o a cce ss w hats o eve r to e ve n th e m ost b asic h ealt h s e rv ic e s. W HO h as id entif ie d n in e s e ve re p ath ogens th at h ave e pid em ic p ote ntia l b ut n o o r in adequate m edic a l c o unte rm easu re s – a noth er g la rin g g ap in th e w orld ’s c o lle ctiv e p re pare dness.

F ortu nate ly , r e ce nt G 7 s u m mit s a nd a g ro w in g b ody o f r e se arc h s e e a s tr o ng m utu ally -re in fo rc in g c o m patib ilit y b etw een th e g oals o f u niv e rs a l h ealt h c o ve ra ge a nd g lo bal h ealt h s e cu rit y . C ountr ie s w it h w ell- f u nctio nin g a nd in clu siv e h ealt h s yste m s a re m ore lik e ly to c a tc h a n o utb re ak e arly w hen th e c h ance s o f r a pid c o nta in m ent a re b est.

C ountr ie s w it h s tr o ng h ealt h s yste m s a re b ette r p re pare d to c o pe w it h t h e a dded d em ands o n h ealt h s e rv ic e s a nd s ta ff th at o utb re aks a nd o th er h ealt h e m erg encie s in evit a bly b rin g. R ece nt h is to ry h as m any e xa m ple s o f fr a gile h ealt h s yste m s p ush ed to th e b rin k o f c o lla pse , o fte n 9 /4 /2 017 W HO | H ealt h s e cu rit y : is th e w orld b ette r p re pare d? h ttp ://w ww.w ho.in t/p ublic a tio ns/1 0-y e ar-re vie w /h ealt h -s e cu rit y /e n/ 3 /3 b y c o m para tiv e ly m ild o utb re aks. F in ally , th e c o m mit m ent to fa ir n ess a nd p ro te ctio n a gain st fin ancia l r u in , e m bodie d in u niv e rs a l h ealt h c o ve ra ge, c a n in sp ir e th e p ublic c o nfid ence a nd tr u st th at u nderp in c o m plia nce w it h r e co m mended c o ntr o l m easu re s.

H ealt h s ecu rit y : is t h e w orld b ette r p re p are d ? 1 . H ealt h s e cu rit y 2 . E bola : W HO m ust c h ange th e w ay it w ork s 3 . F ir s t te sts fo r e arly r e fo rm s 4 . A n ew e m erg encie s p ro gra m me is la unch ed 5 . F our fa m in es: th e w ors t c ris is s in ce 1 945 6 . O n th e fr o ntlin es: a u niq ue c h ain o f c a re 7 . T he w ors t- c a se s ce nario :

c o m in g s o on? 8 . R ela te d lin ks T e n y e ars in p ublic h ealt h 2 007-2 017 F ull r e port P D F o f th e c h apte r p df, 4 65kb