N.W.A.N.Y. Wijesekara https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0391-6220
Abstract
The International Health Regulations (IHR) are a set of legal instruments to make sure that the countries are ready, and committed to detect, assess, notify, report and respond to Public Health events of International Concern (PHEIC) such as COVID-19 outbreak. They are largely focused on the efforts by the states or governments in ensuring the health security of the citizens. However, as evident from the current COVID-19 outbreak, stakeholders beyond the government are needed in the response to such events of unprecedented nature. It is recommended to engage the community and the civil society at all stages of IHR implementation so that their engagement could be more meaningful during the times of crisis.
Keywords: International Health Regulations, COVID-19, Public Health Emergency of International Concern, PHEIC, Community engagement, Civil society engagement