Countries agreed to reform the rules around disease outbreaks—known as the International Health Regulations (IHR)—in the face of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and fears of monkeypox cases worldwide.
The amendments, confirmed by the WHO assembly, are part of a handful of concrete outcomes from a meeting considered a “once-in-a-generation chance” for the U.N. health agency to strengthen its role in fighting disease outbreaks.
Initially led by Washington, the alteration is the first step in a broader reform of the IHR, which set out countries’ legal obligations around disease outbreaks, expected to take up to two years.
Earlier this week, African countries and others voiced opposition to the approach, but three diplomatic sources claimed this was overcome through changes to the proposal’s wording.