The International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005, binding on all WHO member states, classifies which condition as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) requiring immediate notification to WHO?

• A Any outbreak causing >50 deaths within a member state
• B Any newly identified pathogen in WHO Region SEARO regardless of spread
• C A single case of smallpox, wild poliovirus, or SARS; or any unusual event that may constitute a PHEIC based on the decision instrument ✓
• D An outbreak declared a national emergency by the affected country's health ministry

Explanation

IHR 2005 Annex 2 specifies conditions always requiring notification regardless of context: a single case of smallpox, wild-type poliovirus, SARS, or human influenza caused by a new subtype is sufficient. For other events, a four-criteria decision instrument assesses: (1) serious public health impact, (2) unusual or unexpected, (3) significant risk of international spread, (4) significant risk of travel/trade restrictions. Death counts alone are not the threshold. The PHEIC declaration is made by the WHO Director-General, not individual member states.

Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.

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