IHR criteria
Annex 2 of the revised IHR provides a decision instrument
and guidelines to assist in determining whether an event has
international public health concern. There are four main
criteria: (i) serious public health impact; (ii) unusual or unexpected
event; (iii) risk of international spread; and (iv) risk of
international trade or travel restrictions. During the IHR revision
process, the detailed guidance for these criteria changed;
in the pilot project the criteria used were those provided in
the document before consideration by the Intergovernmental
Working Groups (9).