VOA健康报道2023--How WHO Could Deal with Future Pandemics

How WHO Could Deal with Future Pandemics

Officials at the World Health Organization (WHO) are negotiating new rules for dealing¹ with pandemics.

The U.N. health agency's 194 member countries have set a target date of May 2024 for a legal agreement.

A new agreement is a top goal for WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. He called it a "generational commitment that we will not go back to the old cycle of panic" at the U.N. agency's yearly meeting.

The agreement seeks to improve the world's defenses against new viruses. The effort follows the worldwide spread of COVID-19, which is blamed for killing² nearly 7 million people.

What is the so-called pandemic treaty?

The WHO already has rules known as the International Health Regulations, passed in 2005. The rules explain countries' responsibilities when diseases and other public health events threaten to cross borders. WHO members approved the rules after the SARS outbreak in 2002 to 2003.

These rules are still considered good enough for local epidemics³, like Ebola, but not for a pandemic. The rules are also being reconsidered after COVID-19.

Member nations have agreed that the new agreement should have legal force like a treaty does.

It would be only the second such health agreement after the 2003 Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. That treaty aims to reduce smoking through taxation⁴ and rules on labeling and advertising⁵.

However, critics have voiced their opposition⁶ to the proposed treaty on social media. Opponents say approval could lead countries to give too much power to the WHO. The WHO says governments are leading the negotiations⁷ and are free to reject the agreement.

Who supports the agreement?

The European Union proposed the agreement. The EU is considered its biggest supporter. Developing countries, especially in Africa, hope to use the negotiations to secure vaccines⁸.

After five rounds of negotiations, the latest version of the treaty still includes thousands of areas of disagreement or undecided wording. There is even disagreement over the definition of the word "pandemic." With so many member countries involved, getting agreement is likely to be difficult.

How would it work?

It is not yet clear how the 2005 rules and the new pandemic agreement might work together.

Some think that existing rules should continue to apply to local outbreaks with the new rules applying if the WHO declares a pandemic. But the WHO does not have the power to declare a pandemic.

It is also not yet clear what happens if required measures are not followed.

What other changes are possible?

Separate talks on changing the 2005 rules are also taking place. Countries are proposing about 300 amendments⁹ to the rules.

The first proposals from the United States aimed to increase transparency and permit the WHO to go more quickly to places where disease outbreaks are taking place.

Words in This Story

commitment — n. a promise to do something

cycle — n. actions or events that repeatedly happen

panic — n. a state of being seized with fear

label — n. information placed on products that explains the product, what is in it and why someone should buy it

transparency — n. a condition of being open and easy to understand

1 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

2 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

3 epidemics   

n．流行病

参考例句：

• Reliance upon natural epidemics may be both time-consuming and misleading. 依靠天然的流行既浪费时间，又会引入歧途。
• The antibiotic epidemics usually start stop when the summer rainy season begins. 传染病通常会在夏天的雨季停止传播。

4 taxation   

n.征税，税收，税金

参考例句：

• He made a number of simplifications in the taxation system.他在税制上作了一些简化。
• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。

5 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

6 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

7 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

8 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

9 amendments   

（法律、文件的）改动( amendment的名词复数 )； 修正案； 修改； （美国宪法的）修正案

参考例句：

• The committee does not adequately consult others when drafting amendments. 委员会在起草修正案时没有充分征求他人的意见。
• Please propose amendments and addenda to the first draft of the document. 请对这个文件的初稿提出修改和补充意见。