Strengthening the Biological Weapons Convention

Briefing Paper No 21:

Outbreaks of Disease : Current Official Reporting

Executive Summary

Mark Wheelis

Series Editors, Graham S. Pearson and Malcolm R. Dando

Department of Peace Studies, University of Bradford

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This Briefing Paper provides an appreciation of current reporting requirements for outbreaks of disease to facilitate the consideration by the Ad Hoc Group of those aspects of the Protocol relating to outbreaks of disease relevant to the Convention. It considers first the reporting of disease under the Confidence-Building Measures agreed at the Second Review Conference and augmented at the Third Review Conference before going on to address the reporting of diseases to WHO, PAHO, OIE as well as on the plant disease information sharing requirements of the IPPC within the FAO system.

DISEASE REPORTING AS A CBM

Compliance with this 'politically binding' CBM has been variable and generally poor. Although some states provide at least some of the required information, many states provide no or incomplete information. This is in part due to weak epidemiological infrastructure in many States Parties, and to ineffective liaison between foreign ministries (responsible for reporting obligations), and health and agricultural ministries (responsible for outbreak investigation and management). While the latter may be within the power of many States Parties to correct with minimal cost, the former is a major obstacle not readily overcome without substantial additional resources.

REPORTING OF HUMAN DISEASE OUTBREAKS TO THE WHO

The International Health Regulations (IHR) apply to only three diseases -- cholera, plague and yellow fever -- for which notifications are required immediately and updated weekly. Disease information provided by Member States to the WHO is available immediately by telex to Member States and is also published weekly in the Weekly Epidemiological Record (WER) sent to Member States and available on the web.

REPORTING OF HUMAN DISEASES TO PAHO

Each Member State is obliged to report frequently to both the PAHO and to other Member States on the current state of public health, including information on 11 diseases that are "obligatorily reportable". Three of these diseases are also reportable to the WHO (plague, cholera, and yellow fever). 

REPORTING OF ANIMAL OUTBREAKS TO THE OIE

A total of 26 different animal diseases are notifiable within 24 hours to the OIE; these comprise16 different terrestrial animal and bird diseases under the Animal Code, and 10 aquatic animal diseases under the Aquatic Animal Code. Disease information provided by Member States to the OIE is transmitted immediately to any Member States at risk from the outbreak, and is mailed to all Member States on a weekly basis in the publication Disease Information, also available on the web. This warning mechanism is supplemented by the bimonthly publication OIE Bulletin, which summarizes all outbreaks of List A diseases, and other animal health information of interest to Member States. There is also an annual summary publication, World Animal Health. 

SURVEILLANCE OF PLANT DISEASE OUTBREAKS UNDER THE INTERNATIONAL PLANT PROTECTION CONVENTION

There is no mandatory reporting to international agencies for plant diseases comparable to the human disease reporting to WHO or the animal disease reporting to OIE. However, the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) is a multilateral treaty whose purpose is to secure common and effective action to prevent the spread and introduction of pests of plants and plant products and to promote measures for their control. It requires reporting of plant diseases to national plant protection organizations, and bilateral or multilateral sharing, as appropriate, of information on plant diseases that may threaten other countries.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE AS AN INCENTIVE FOR DISEASE SURVEILLANCE AND REPORTING

Compliance with the requirements of the Animal and Aquatic Animal Codes and of the IPPC has an important incentive in the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT 1994), especially under the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (the SPS agreement), which allows Member States to establish sanitary and phytosanitary restrictions on agricultural imports, but which requires such restrictions to be based on scientific evidence.

OTHER DISEASE REPORTING SYSTEMS

In addition to the official disease reporting systems, there are a very large number of other disease reporting systems, including international systems of voluntary reporting or information collection, NGO systems of information collection, and national reporting systems. The more prominent of these are identified and listed in the Briefing Paper.

CONCLUSIONS

This Briefing Paper provides information on current international reporting of disease to the international organizations WHO, PAHO, and OIE, as well as on the plant disease information sharing requirements of the IPPC within the FAO system. Plant and animal disease reporting requirements, either to UN Organizations or to other States, are reasonably complete. Much information is made available rapidly on the internet. Official reporting of human disease is much less extensive, especially outside the Americas. However, there is much information available from other official sources, as well as numerous unofficial ones. It is unlikely that any significant human, animal or plant outbreak could escape international attention.