Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

It is a formal declaration by the World Health Organization (WHO) that signals a serious, unexpected, and often rapidly spreading health event posing a risk to multiple countries and requires a coordinated international response.

The World Health Organization's declaration of Monkeypox as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on August 14, 2024, is a sobering reminder of the unpredictable nature of infectious diseases. While the virus has not yet reached the devastating scale of past pandemics, its rapid spread across borders demands urgent international coordination and action.

Upon the declaration of a PHEIC, it becomes mandatory for governments to take immediate action. This includes 1) alerting and mobilizing resources, 2) coordinating international responses, and 3) encouraging funding and research.

The declaration is a critical tool in global health governance aimed at preventing or reducing the international spread of disease. Within the last five years, the Monkeypox PHEIC is the second one. The other was in the year 2020 for COVID-19 spread.

Accordign to the WHO
"While disease outbreaks and other acute public health risks are often unpredictable and require a range of responses, the International Health Regulations (2005) (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.

The IHR are an instrument of international law that is legally-binding on 196 countries, including the 194 WHO Member States. The IHR  grew out of the response to  deadly epidemics that once overran Europe. They create rights and obligations for countries, including the requirement to report public health events. The Regulations also  outline the criteria to determine whether or not a particular event constitutes a  “public health emergency of international concern”. 

At the same time, the IHR require countries to designate a National IHR Focal Point for communications with WHO, to establish and maintain core capacities for surveillance and response, including at designated points of entry. Additional provisions address the areas of  international travel and transport such as the health documents required for international traffic.
Finally, the IHR introduce important safeguards to protect the rights of travellers and other persons in relation to the treatment of personal data, informed consent and non-discrimination in the application of health measures under the Regulations."