SVG’s a little behind in the IHR

This country is currently not where it should be at meeting its core capacities with regard to the International Health Regulations (IHR).{{more}}

This realization prompted important stakeholders from the Ministry of Health and other governmental organizations to do an analysis of the existing situation and to prepare a work plan for the way forward at a one-day workshop, which was held on Tuesday at the Fisheries Complex in Kingstown.

Since June 15, 2007, the world has been implementing the new set of International Health Regulations.

This legally binding agreement contributes to global health security by providing a framework for the coordination of the management of events that may constitute a public health emergency of international concern, and therefore increasing the capacity of countries to detect, assess, notify and respond to public health threats.

Countries that are state parties to the regulations have two years to assess their capacity and develop national action plans, which are then followed by a three-year period to meet the requirements of the regulations at designated airports and ports.

The 22nd World Health Assembly in 1969 adopted and revised the International Sanitary Regulations which were renamed the IHR in 1969.

At the 26th World Health Assembly in 1973, the IHR was amended in relation to provisions relating to cholera, plague and yellow fever.

Again in 1995, a decision was made to amend the regulations and for greater attention to be paid to controlling the cross boundary transmission of these diseases.

And the present day regulations were adopted by consensus in May, 2005, according to Dr Roger Duncan, the Medical Officer of Health, and at this year’s World Health Assembly it was added on to the agenda at that meeting for an evaluation to be done on the implementation of IHR.

“We are a little behind, but we have about a month to catch up,” Dr Duncan said.

“So we have to do a risk assessment before and we don’t want to unnecessarily interrupt with traffic, so on one hand, we are trying to make sure that international trade is practised in a manner that is safe for public health,” he continued.

Duncan said that there were 13 issues down for discussion, relating to capacity building, assessment and reporting.

Dr St Clair Thomas, Chief Medical Officer, said that the national health regulations are important to a country’s profile.

He further contended that it was important for those stakeholders here to understand that what happens in other parts of the world can affect others in other countries.

“The WHO is trying to capture these factors that can be governed and guided to help these people in other countries and therefore principles and practices must be put in place to avoid similar mistakes, one being SARS,” Thomas said.

“Today’s meeting is very important for all of us, so that we could meet our requirements for this international agreement,” he added. (DD)