Distinguished participants, Dear colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen
I am pleased to welcome you to this meeting on Public Health Measures at International Points of Entry, jointly convened by WHO and the Secretariat of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
The theme of the meeting is “New Roles of Points of Entry Under the New International Health Regulations”.
This is the first such meeting in Asia, and includes Member States from two WHO Regions — South-East Asia and the Western Pacific.
The broad scope of participation here today reflects the international importance and the collaborative nature of effort needed to implement effective public health measures at international points of entry, particularly in light of the International Health Regulations (2005).
These regulations, better known as IHR (2005), entered into force in June 2007. They provide a legal basis for disease-event reporting, notification, information-sharing, consultation, verification and determination of public health emergencies of international concern.
Asia is the world's largest and most diverse region in terms of geography and population. This makes us considerably more vulnerable to emerging infectious diseases and other public health risks.
But our size and diversity are also our strengths — by collaborating in the gathering and sharing of information we can increase our knowledge about new diseases. We can also design and implement more effective public health strategies against these diseases, including those measures at international points of entry.
Many of you have worked very hard to prevent the importation of three quarantinable diseases: plague, yellow fever and cholera, in accordance with the previous International Health Regulations. Indeed, international points of entry were the key in these regulations.
But the world is now changing as never before. Infectious diseases spread faster than ever. Both SARS and pandemic influenza (H1N1) 2009 have clearly demonstrated how fast new diseases can spread cross international boundaries.
It only takes weeks or a few months. These public health emergencies have revealed the limitations of the border control measures in the old regulations. In fact, strict border-control measures alone are not enough to manage the spread of these emerging infectious diseases successfully.
Since coming into force in 2007, the IHR (2005) has proven to be a very valuable framework to allow us to detect and respond collectively to public health emergencies of international concern. International points of entry have new roles to play under the new regulations.
The emergence this year of pandemic influenza (H1N1) 2009 provides us with a clear example of the changing environment in which we now operate and of the importance of the new regulations.
What are the new roles that international points of entry can play under IHR (2005)? What kinds of multi-agency collaboration and coordinated responses are necessary to control and respond to emerging diseases? How can we be better prepared to respond to these threats at designated points of entry?
These are important questions to be answered. I am very pleased that such a distinguished group is gathered here to discuss these questions and identify the way forward.
With the world's attention focused on pandemic influenza (H1N1) 2009, this meeting is a timely opportunity to learn from each other's experiences during the ongoing pandemic.
But we also will need to identify the important role international points of entry must play in contributing to the management of acute public health risks in this new environment.
I wish you all a successful meeting and an enjoyable stay in Manila.
Thank you.