A Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) is a formal declaration by the World Health Organization (WHO). The declaration is promulgated by that body's Emergency Committee operating under International Health Regulations (IHR).
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Definition and impact
This statement designates a public health crisis of potentially global reach.
2009 swine flu declaration
As a legally binding international instrument on disease prevention, surveillance, control, and response adopted by 194 countries, a PHEIC was first issued in April 2009 when the H1N1 (or swine flu) pandemic was still in Phase Three.
2014 polio declaration
The second PHEIC was issued in May 2014 with the resurgence of polio after its near-eradication, deemed "an extraordinary event."
2014 Ebola declaration
On Friday, August 8, 2014, the World Health Organization declared its third Public Health Emergency of International Concern in response to the outbreak of Ebola in Western Africa.
2016 Zika virus declaration
On Monday, February 1, 2016, the World Health Organization declared its fourth PHEIC in response to clusters of microcephaly and Guillain–Barré syndrome in the Americas, which at the time were suspected to be associated with the ongoing outbreak of Zika virus. Later research and evidence bore out these concerns; in April, the WHO stated that "there is scientific consensus that Zika virus is a cause of microcephaly and Guillain–Barré syndrome." This declaration was lifted on November 18, 2016.
Non-declarations
PHEIC can also make the news when it is not invoked, as is the case to date with MERS.