ABSTRACT
Returning to our pyramid, we reach the top, or tertiary, level – preventing a local outbreak from becoming internationally dispersed. Just as initial efforts to detect and contain an outbreak rely on local regional and national health systems, attempts to prevent that outbreak from becoming an international pandemic also depend on global systems that regulate the major cross-border conduits of disease – trade, transportation and travel. Historically, the movement of humans, animals and goods has largely been controlled at a national level. But as global exchanges have proliferated, the importance of international legal rules has increased. The World Health Organization’s International Health Regulations provide a framework for controlling the movement of people and goods in the event of concerns about international disease transmission. Also governing international trade are the agreements under the World Trade Organization (WTO), covering everything from food safety standards to patent protections for prescription drugs. This chapter will explore the aspects of these international rules that are most critical to controlling emerging infections.
