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Influenza

Final report of the IHR Review Committee published

10-05-2011

The Review Committee on the Functioning of the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) assessed and identified lessons learned during the global response to the pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009 in order to help strengthen the functioning of the IHR, the ongoing global response (including the role of WHO) and preparedness for future pandemics.  While operating independently, the Review Committee gathered information from the WHO Secretariat and, through a series of plenary meetings and deliberative sessions at WHO Headquarters (Geneva), developed a report on the review. The report has been transmitted by the Director-General to the Sixty-fourth World Health Assembly for adoption and implementation. 

The Review Committee’s report conclusions and related recommendations, which are categorized by lead responsibility and expected timeframe for completion of implementation, are summarized below: 

Conclusions

I. The IHR helped make the world better prepared to cope with public-health emergencies. The core national and local capacities called for in the IHR are not yet fully operational and are not now on a path to timely implementation worldwide.

 Recommendations

  • Accelerate implementation of core capacities required by the IHR
  • Enhance the WHO Event Information Site
  • Reinforce evidence-based decisions on international travel and trade
  • Ensure necessary authority and resources for all National IHR Focal Points

II. WHO performed well in many ways during the pandemic, confronted systemic difficulties and demonstrated some shortcomings. The Committee found no evidence of malfeasance.

Recommendations

  • Strengthen WHO’s internal capacity for sustained response.
  • Improve practices for appointment of an Emergency Committee
  • Revise pandemic preparedness guidance
  • Develop and apply measures to assess severity
  • Streamline management of guidance documents
  • Develop and implement a strategic, organization-wide communications policy
  • Encourage advance agreements for vaccine distribution and delivery

III. The world is ill-prepared to respond to a severe influenza pandemic or to any similarly global, sustained and threatening public-health emergency. Beyond implementation of core public-health capacities called for in the IHR, global preparedness can be advanced through research, reliance on a multisectoral approach, strengthened health-care delivery systems, economic development in low and middle-income countries and improved health status.

Recommendations

  • Establish a more extensive global, public-health reserve workforce.
  • Create a contingency fund for public-health emergencies.
  • Reach agreement on sharing of viruses and access to vaccines and other benefits.
  • Pursue a comprehensive influenza research and evaluation programme.

WHO/Europe continues to support Member States to review and update their pandemic plans, guided by the findings from this report, as well as the evaluation performed by WHO/Europe which provided recommendations on good practice in pandemic preparedness planning, those undertaken among EU/EEA Member States and individual country evaluations.