School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, 600 Peter Morand Crescent, Ottawa, ON, K1G 5Z3, Canada.
Dahdaleh Insitute for Global Health Research, York University, 88 The Pond Road, Suite 2150, Toronto, ON, M3J 2S5, Canada.
Global Health. 2021 Nov 6;17(1):128. doi: 10.1186/s12992-021-00779-0.
A special session of the World Health Assembly (WHA) will be convened in late 2021 to consider developing a WHO convention, agreement or other international instrument on pandemic preparedness and response - a so-called 'Pandemic Treaty'. Consideration is given to this treaty as well as to reform of the International Health Regulations (IHR) as our principal governing instrument to prevent and mitigate future pandemics.
Reasons exist to continue to work with the IHR as our principal governing instrument to prevent and mitigate future pandemics. All WHO member states are party to it. It gives the WHO the authority to oversee the collection of surveillance data and to issue recommendations on trade and travel advisories to control the spread of infectious diseases, among other things. However, the limitations of the IHR in addressing the deep prevention of future pandemics also must be recognized. These include a lack of a regulatory framework to prevent zoonotic spillovers. More advanced multi-sectoral measures are also needed. At the same time, a pandemic treaty would have potential benefits and drawbacks as well. It would be a means of addressing the gross inequity in global vaccine distribution and other gaps in the IHR, but it would also need more involvement at the negotiation table of countries in the Global South, significant funding, and likely many years to adopt.
Reform of the IHR should be undertaken while engaging with WHO member states (and notably those from the Global South) in discussions on the possible benefits, drawbacks and scope of a new pandemic treaty. Both options are not mutually exclusive.
世界卫生大会（WHA）将于 2021 年底召开特别会议，审议制定世界卫生组织关于大流行预防和应对的公约、协定或其他国际文书，即所谓的“大流行条约”。正在审议该条约以及《国际卫生条例（IHR）》的改革，作为我们预防和减轻未来大流行的主要管理工具。
有理由继续将《国际卫生条例》作为我们预防和减轻未来大流行的主要管理工具。所有世界卫生组织成员国均为其缔约方。该条例赋予世界卫生组织监督监测数据收集以及发布关于贸易和旅行建议以控制传染病传播等方面的建议的权力。然而，也必须认识到《国际卫生条例》在预防未来大流行方面的局限性。其中包括缺乏预防人畜共患病溢出的监管框架。还需要更先进的多部门措施。同时，大流行条约也将有其潜在的利弊。它将是解决全球疫苗分配不均和《国际卫生条例》其他差距的一种手段，但也需要更多来自南方国家的国家在谈判桌上参与，需要大量资金，并且可能需要多年时间才能通过。
在与世界卫生组织成员国（特别是来自南方国家的成员国）就新的大流行条约的可能惠益、弊端和范围进行讨论的同时，应进行《国际卫生条例》的改革。这两种选择并不相互排斥。
