The WHO and International Health Regulations: Lessons from The Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak in West Africa
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Linda Nwaodu-Ufomba
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The revised International Health Regulations – IHR (2005), a framework that provides public health response during disease outbreaks – is certainly not far from ensuring that WHO remains the coordinator and strategic planner in global public health emergencies. However, it needs to incorporate enforcement mechanisms to avert state parties non-compliance during public health emergencies. This paper critically assesses the extent to which the Ebola outbreak has challenged WHO authority as a key global health actor. While IHR (2005) vagueness and State Parties’ misunderstanding may have contributed to non-compliance, the Ebola outbreak revealed that lack of enforcement mechanism underpinned the non-adherence to these regulations. Subsequently, State Parties’ failure to comply with regulations challenged the WHO’s authority and exposed it to criticism.
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Authors
Linda Nwaodu-Ufomba
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References:
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