Because of the development of the outbreak in China and the world, WHO decided to meet again to decide whether to include this outbreak in PHEIC (Public Health Emergency of International Concern.) On the evening of January 30, local time, WHO released the pneumonia outbreak of novel coronavirus infection as a public health emergency of international concern. The picture in this article Reslin Weixin Public Before the release, you read information similar to the following on Weibo, Douban, and postings: Most of this information is wrong. First of all, it is not three years, but there is a distinction, you can see the treaty below. Article 15 Interim Recommendations 1. If it is determined in accordance with Article 12 that a public health emergency of international concern is occurring, the Director-General shall issue an interim recommendation in accordance with the procedures set forth in Article 49. Such interim recommendations may be modified or renewed as appropriate, including after it has been determined that a public health emergency of international concern has ended, at which time other interim recommendations may be issued as needed to prevent or rapidly detect a recurrence. Interim recommendations may include proposed health measures for persons, baggage, cargo, containers, vehicles, articles and/or parcels to be taken by a State Party or other States Parties experiencing a public health emergency of international concern, with the aim of preventing or reducing the international spread of disease and avoiding unnecessary interference with international traffic. automatically expire three months after publication. The interim recommendation may be modified or renewed for an additional three months. The interim recommendation may continue until at most the second World Health Assembly following the identification of the public health emergency of international concern to which it relates. WHO may make long-term recommendations for appropriate health measures to be taken routinely or periodically, in accordance with Article 53. States Parties may adopt measures for persons, baggage, cargo, containers, means of transport, articles and/or parcels in response to specific public health hazards that are occurring, with the aim of preventing or reducing the international spread of disease and avoiding unnecessary interference with international traffic. WHO may modify or withdraw a long-term recommendation in due course in accordance with Article 53. In other words, the interim recommendation is evaluated once every three months, and if we have the outbreak under control after three months, then the PHEIC status is over. And the long-term recommendation, too, can be modified and withdrawn in due course. There is no such thing as a mandatory three-year period. Then after being included, the specific measures that will be implemented can be found in Article 18: Article 18 Recommendations for persons, baggage, cargo, containers, transport, articles and parcels 1. review of travel history in the infected area; – review of medical examination certificates and the results of any laboratory analysis; – need for medical examination; – review of proof of vaccination or other prophylactic measures; – need for vaccination or other prophylactic measures -public health observation of the suspect; -quarantine or other sanitary measures for the suspect; -isolation and necessary treatment of the infected person; -tracking of persons in contact with the suspect or infected person; -denial of entry to the suspect or infected person Deny entry to suspected or infected persons; – Deny entry to uninfected persons to infected areas; and – Conduct exit inspections and/or restrict exit from infected areas. 2. WHO recommendations to States Parties for baggage, cargo, containers, vehicles, articles and parcels may include the following observations: – No specific health measures are required; – Review of manifests and routes; – Implementation of inspections; – Review of the measures taken to eliminate infection or contamination at the time of departure or transit Review of proof of decontamination measures taken upon departure or transit; – Handling of baggage, cargo, containers, vehicles, articles, parcels or skeletal remains to eliminate sources of infection or contamination (including vectors and hosts); – Specific sanitary measures to ensure safe handling and transport of skeletal remains; – Isolation or quarantine seize and destroy infected or contaminated or suspect baggage, cargo, containers, vehicles, articles or parcels under surveillance if all available treatment or operational methods are unsuccessful; and – deny departure or entry. That said, even if classified as PHEIC, the advice given by the WHO is graded and does not treat everyone’s equally. An example of this is that the Zika virus in South America was classified as PHEIC in 2015-2016 and Brazil was included. However, in 2016, Brazil also hosted the Olympics …. So in this case, it’s certainly best not to be included, but even if we are included, don’t treat it as the end of the world, especially don’t spread panic online! Source: People’s Daily “PHEIC, does not mean “epidemic countries”