World Health Organization

Question 1

WHO Origin + Member

Answer 1

Year: 1948
Members: 61

Question 2

WHO structure:

Answer 2

• World Health Assembly (meets annually)
• Executive Board (34 members for 3 years)
• Director-General and Secretariat
• Six regional officeshighly decentralized

Question 3

WHO rule making - recommendation

Answer 3

Conventions (framework convention on Tobacco Control)
Regulations: 1951 - International Sanitary Regulations
1969 - International Health Regulations
Require reporting by states if outbreaks of infectious disease

Question 4

WH role:

Answer 4

Promotes health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable.
- Responsible to fiance health and development of health products.
- deals with health crises (when occurring)

Question 5

WHO Global health crises

Answer 5

2003 SARS - travel restrictions; reformed International Health Regulations (2005)
- Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) : 2014 Ebola: new emergencies program: global emergency workforce; Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework
* 2019/2020 Covid-19: balancing act between acquiring epidemiological information through WHO mission and
enforcing PHEIC

Question 6

Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

Answer 6

Experts determine if situation is a big threat to Int. health, if so, recommendation to WHO on how to prevent

Question 7

CASE STUDY 1:

Answer 7

2003 SARS
i. WHO was praised for the fast response
ii. WHO imposed travel restrictions and reformed International Health Regulations (IHR) in 2005
iii. The WHO could declare Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). But there is tension between keeping human health or keeping the economy, thus making WHO reluctant to declare PHEIC

Question 8

CASE STUDY 2:

Answer 8

2015 - EBOLA WHO was complained because of its slow response
ii. Created new emergencies programs: Global Emergency Workforce and Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Network

Question 9

CASE STUDY 3:

Answer 9

2019 - COVID 19
The dilemma within WHO:
1.The WHO could treat China too harshly and thereby would lose access to its data
2. The WHO could treat China too lightly and then other states would fail to accurately receive the data
ii. The WHO can’t enforce governments to take action, WHO can only assist technically and advisably and make countries share its data
iii. WHO provided PPE, guidelines for disease management, providing test kits, collecting and pooling information on clinical trials