Pandemics

Question 1

Epidemic

Answer 1

An unexpected increase in the number of disease cases in a specific geographical area
- ex. ebola

Question 2

Pandemic

Answer 2

An epidemic occurring worldwide, or over a very wide area, crossing international boundaries and usually affecting a large number of people
- the worldwide spread of a new disease (WHO definition)
- ex. HIV/AIDS, covid

Question 3

Endemic

Answer 3

A disease outbreak that is consistently present but limited to a particular region

• Disease is relatively stable and predictable
• Disease is manageable
• Disease rates are reduced to an ‘acceptable’ level
• e.g., Malaria in southern Africa

Question 4

What are rates of COVID hospitalizations and deaths in 2023?

Answer 4

• Higher than they were at the peak of the pandemic
• Not seasonal, there are summer outbreaks
• Making the disease very unpredictable

Question 5

Is life expectancy increasing or decreasing in Canada?

Answer 5

Decreasing for 3rd year in a row
- ever since COVID pandemic

Question 6

International Health Regulations

Answer 6

• an international legal instrument
  that is binding on 196 countries
  across the globe, including all the
  Member States of WHO
• They aim to help the international community prevent and respond to acute public health risks that have the potential to cross borders and threaten people
  worldwide

Question 7

Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

Answer 7

• must notify WHO under the IHR for all events that “may constitute a public health emergency of international concern”
• declaration made by the Director-General of the World Health Organization, on advice from the IHR Emergency Committee, regarding “an extraordinary event which is determined, as provided in these regulations:
  1. to constitute a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease
  2. to potentially require a coordinated international response

Question 8

what happens if there is a PHEIC

Answer 8

• all the 196 countries involved in IHR to act in a particular way
• the director will issue temporary recommendations with the procedure set out in Article 49
• this may include health measures to be implemented such as cargo, containers, and goods to reduce the spread of disease and avoid unnecessary international traffic
• people travelling

1. ONLY temporary
2. ONLY recommendations

Question 9

Examples of what WHO can recommend if there is a PHEIC

Answer 9

• require medical examinations
• require proof of vaccine
• refuse entry of affected persons
• implement quarantine

Question 10

When issuing, modifying or terminating temporary or standing recommendations in regards to a PHEIC, what should the Director General consider

Answer 10

1. views of the state party directly concerned
2. advice from the emergency committee
3. scientific evidence and info
4. risk assessment of health measures and protection
5. relevant international standards and instruments
6. consider other intergovernmental organizations

Question 11

How often did the committee meet regarding the COVID-19 pandemic to see if it constitutes a PHEIC?

Answer 11

Every 3 months

Question 12

When was the PHEIC created?

Answer 12

International Health Regulations were revised in 2005 after SARS
- due to that global community advised for better instruments and PHEIC was created

Question 13

5 worlds deadliest pandemics

Answer 13

1. Black death (bubonic plague); 1346–1353; 75-200 million deaths
2. ‘Spanish’ flu (H1N1 influenza); 1918-1929; 17-100 million deaths
3. Plague of Justinian (bubonic plague); 541–549; 15-100 million deaths
4. HIV/AIDS; 1981-present; ~40 million deaths
5. SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19; 2019-present; 7-34 million deaths

Question 14

Why did China reject the WHO from further investigating the origins of the COVID pandemic?

Answer 14

• they don’t have legal right to do it without permission
• China doesn’t want to be viewed in a negative light
• do not want countries to stop economic trade, close borders etc

Question 15

What was a challenge that countries faced when COVID-19 first happened?

Answer 15

• they didn’t listen to WHO recommendations and instead made individual choices for their countries
  ex. said not to close borders to foreigners from china but instead all countries created travel bans

Question 16

2 challenges to global health policy

Answer 16

1. not listening to authorities such as WHO on recommendations
2. not possible to investigate where the spread came from or how it came about (specifically for covid)

Question 17

ACT Accelerator

Answer 17

• The ACT Accelerator is a ground-breaking global collaboration to accelerate the development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines
• collaboration, not a new organization
• COVAX

Question 18

COVAX

Answer 18

• COVAX is co-led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations
  (CEPI) and WHO
• Its aim is to accelerate the development and manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines, and to guarantee fair and equitable access for every country in the world.”

Question 19

Problem with the ACT Accelerator & COVAX framework

Answer 19

• comes down to buying power
• Outbidding
  ex; Last month, COVAX was expecting the J&J doses it purchased to finally start trickling in. COVAX anticipated 4 million doses. Instead, J&J delivered 12 million contracted doses to the US and EU. COVAX received none

Question 20

Why are pandemics, particularly the covid pandemic important for future healthcare?

Answer 20

• a wake-up call to do better in pandemic preparedness
• realizing its hard to act collectively and how to do so
• how do we get every country on the same page