What is a PHEIC? The conditions which must be met are set out under the 2005 International Health Regulations (IHR) -- the legal framework defining countries' rights and obligations in handling public health events that could cross borders.
A PHEIC is defined in the regulations as "an extraordinary event which is determined to constitute a public health risk to other states through the international spread of disease and to potentially require a coordinated international response".
The definition implies that the situation is serious, sudden, unusual or unexpected, carries implications for public health beyond an affected country's border, and may require immediate international action. Emergency committee The WHO's 16-member emergency committee on monkeypox is chaired by Jean-Marie Okwo-Bele from the Democratic Republic of Congo, who is a former director of the WHO's Vaccines and Immunisation Department.
The committee brings together virologists, vaccinologists, epidemiologists and experts in the fight against major diseases. It is co-chaired by Nicola Low, an associate professor of epidemiology and public health medicine from Bern University.