PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY OF INTERNATIONAL CONCERN (PHEIC)

Jan. 31, 2020

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the novel coronavirus infection a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), as China reported that death toll had climbed to 213 with nearly 10,000 infections.

About:

Criteria followed by WHO to declare PHEIC: A public health emergency is defined as “an extraordinary event which is determined:
- to constitute a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease; and
- to potentially require a coordinated international response”.
Declared by whom: The responsibility of declaring an event as an emergency lies with the Director-General of the WHO.
Past incidence: In the past decade, WHO has declared public health emergencies for outbreaks including swine flu, polio and Ebola.
Implications of a PHEIC being declared: Declaring a PHEIC may lead to restrictions on travel and trade for the host country, which in the case of the coronavirus is China.