Brussels, 23/05/2005 (Agence Europe) - On 20 May, the European Commissioner in charge of Health, Markos Kyprianou, welcomed the agreement on the revision of the International Health Regulations, which was reached the same day by the World Health Organisation in Geneva. This agreement will strengthen the international early-warning system against new epidemics of infectious diseases, such as the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). In Geneva, ministers and high-ranking officials of the 192 member countries of the World Health Assembly- the plenary body of the WHO- agreed on new rules requiring all major public health events of international concern to be reported to the WHO. The European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, Markos Kyprianou, welcomed the agreement reached by the World Health Assembly to strengthen international cooperation in the fight against infections disease epidemics. These include major disease outbreaks and the deliberate release of biological pathogens, in other words suspected acts of bio-terrorism. The European Union has been one of the driving forces behind the strengthening of the International Health Regulations, according to a Commission press release, which stresses that the Commission was given a mandate to negotiate for this within the WHO.
The first version of the International Health Regulations was adopted in 1969 and has twice been updated (in 1973 and 1981). In May 2003, the World Health Assembly decided to revise it again. Until now, outbreaks of only three diseases- cholera, plague and yellow fever- have been notifiable to the WHO. The new rules will enter into force in 2007.