U.S., global health workers on lookout for deadliest infectious diseases
The United States is joining countries around the world in being on
high alert for some of the globe's most deadly infectious diseases.
Under new International Health Regulations created by the World Health
Organization, the United States is working through its state and local
reporting networks to identify, respond to and share information about
public health emergencies of international concern. The regulations
took effect in the United States July 18.
The regulations call on WHO member countries -- which include the
United States -- to report disease outbreaks and other public health
events that have an international impact. Specifically, the new
regulations add four diseases -- smallpox, polio, severe acute
respiratory syndrome -- to the list of those that must be immediately
reported to WHO.
"Today's world of rapid air travel, international migration, emerging
diseases, threats of terrorism and the potential threat of an
influenza pandemic underscore the importance of the International
Health Regulations," said U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services
Mike Leavitt.
The emergence of SARS in 2003 demonstrated "as no previous disease
outbreak ever had" how interconnected the world has become and how
rapidly a new disease can spread, according to WHO. SARS served as a
wake-up call for global health officials, said Margaret Chan, MD, WHO
director-general, but isn't the main concern today.
"Today, the greatest threat to international public health security
would be an influenza pandemic," said Chan in June, when the
International Health Regulations came into force. "The threat of a
pandemic has not receded, but implementation of the (regulations) will
help the world to be better prepared for the possibility of a
pandemic."
posted by APHA Flu Team at 12:33 PM
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