| PHEIC • A PHEIC is defined as, “an extraordinary event which is determined to constitute a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease and to potentially require a coordinated international response”. • This definition implies a situation that is: serious, sudden, unusual or unexpected; carries implications for public health beyond the affected State’s national border; and may require immediate international action. |
- WHO recently released ‘Pathogens Prioritization: A Scientific Framework for Epidemic and Pandemic Research Preparedness’.
- The subgenus Sarbecovirus, which includes SARS-CoV-2, has been added to the recently released ‘Pathogens Prioritisation’ report. It includes 30 ‘Priority pathogens’.
- Nipah, already on the list, recently claimed the life of a 14-year-old boy in Kerala, India.
- The list also retains Ebola and Zika viruses, both classified as “high” for Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) risk.
- Maharashtra, India, is currently facing a Zika outbreak, with over 70 cases, including 26 pregnant women, reported in Pune.
- While not all are immediate threats, these pathogens have the potential to become significant problems.
- New additions to the list include the dengue virus, influenza A viruses (including the H5 subtype), and mpox, which has emerged in parts of Africa.
- Among bacteria, the list now includes those causing plague, cholera, pneumonia, dysentery, and non-typhoidal salmonella, a major cause of diarrheal diseases.
- In Southeast Asia, bacterial pathogens like Vibrio cholerae O139 (cholera) and Shigella dysenteriae serotype 1 (dysentery) are priorities, alongside endemic viruses like Nipah, dengue, Zika, and chikungunya.
Dig Deeper: Go through the list of all priority pathogens of WHO.
