Latest revisions to the International Health Regulations will fail to prevent future travel chaos
The poor management of public health risks associated with travel by most countries proved among the most contentious issue areas during the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence from previous outbreaks suggested travel restrictions were largely unnecessary and counterproductive to timely reporting. This led...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMJ Publishing Group
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | BMJ Global Health |
| Online Access: | https://gh.bmj.com/content/10/1/e017077.full |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832581915081703424 |
|---|---|
| author | Kelley Lee Julianne Piper |
| author_facet | Kelley Lee Julianne Piper |
| author_sort | Kelley Lee |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The poor management of public health risks associated with travel by most countries proved among the most contentious issue areas during the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence from previous outbreaks suggested travel restrictions were largely unnecessary and counterproductive to timely reporting. This led to initial WHO recommendations against the use of travel restrictions. Substantial evidence of the role of human travel in spreading SARS-CoV-2 worldwide throughout the evolving pandemic supported new thinking about the use of different types of travel measures (ie, screening, restrictions, quarantine, immunity documentation) to limit the introduction of SARS-CoV-2 into jurisdictions with low incidence and onward transmission. However, governments failed to work together, undermining public health goals. In addition, profound secondary impacts were caused by uncoordinated, frequently changing and poorly evidenced use of travel measures. Alongside the need to better understand what, when and how travel measures should be used during public health emergencies of international concern, improved global governance is required. Recently adopted revisions to the International Health Regulations (IHR), notably Article 43, failed to change current rules and commitments. Travel measures are also not being addressed in the negotiation of a pandemic agreement. Evolving evidence from COVID-19 supports a risk-based approach but global consensus on a standardised methodology remains needed. Setting aside further IHR revision, this methodology and guidelines could be advanced through a WHO technical working group. A risk-based decision instrument that incorporates pathogen and jurisdictional characteristics, and public health and social, political and economic risk analysis could then be developed as a new IHR annex. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b5278f601b4c48ab9034dbf9965c2714 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2059-7908 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Global Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-b5278f601b4c48ab9034dbf9965c27142025-01-30T07:40:14ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Global Health2059-79082025-01-0110110.1136/bmjgh-2024-017077Latest revisions to the International Health Regulations will fail to prevent future travel chaosKelley Lee0Julianne Piper1Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, CanadaFaculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, CanadaThe poor management of public health risks associated with travel by most countries proved among the most contentious issue areas during the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence from previous outbreaks suggested travel restrictions were largely unnecessary and counterproductive to timely reporting. This led to initial WHO recommendations against the use of travel restrictions. Substantial evidence of the role of human travel in spreading SARS-CoV-2 worldwide throughout the evolving pandemic supported new thinking about the use of different types of travel measures (ie, screening, restrictions, quarantine, immunity documentation) to limit the introduction of SARS-CoV-2 into jurisdictions with low incidence and onward transmission. However, governments failed to work together, undermining public health goals. In addition, profound secondary impacts were caused by uncoordinated, frequently changing and poorly evidenced use of travel measures. Alongside the need to better understand what, when and how travel measures should be used during public health emergencies of international concern, improved global governance is required. Recently adopted revisions to the International Health Regulations (IHR), notably Article 43, failed to change current rules and commitments. Travel measures are also not being addressed in the negotiation of a pandemic agreement. Evolving evidence from COVID-19 supports a risk-based approach but global consensus on a standardised methodology remains needed. Setting aside further IHR revision, this methodology and guidelines could be advanced through a WHO technical working group. A risk-based decision instrument that incorporates pathogen and jurisdictional characteristics, and public health and social, political and economic risk analysis could then be developed as a new IHR annex.https://gh.bmj.com/content/10/1/e017077.full |
| spellingShingle | Kelley Lee Julianne Piper Latest revisions to the International Health Regulations will fail to prevent future travel chaos BMJ Global Health |
| title | Latest revisions to the International Health Regulations will fail to prevent future travel chaos |
| title_full | Latest revisions to the International Health Regulations will fail to prevent future travel chaos |
| title_fullStr | Latest revisions to the International Health Regulations will fail to prevent future travel chaos |
| title_full_unstemmed | Latest revisions to the International Health Regulations will fail to prevent future travel chaos |
| title_short | Latest revisions to the International Health Regulations will fail to prevent future travel chaos |
| title_sort | latest revisions to the international health regulations will fail to prevent future travel chaos |
| url | https://gh.bmj.com/content/10/1/e017077.full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kelleylee latestrevisionstotheinternationalhealthregulationswillfailtopreventfuturetravelchaos AT juliannepiper latestrevisionstotheinternationalhealthregulationswillfailtopreventfuturetravelchaos |