International Health Regulations (2005) – Third edition

Overview

The International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) provide the international legal framework for the prevention and response to the international spread of diseases. The IHR are an instrument of international law, adopted pursuant to Article 21 of the WHO Constitution, and are legally-binding on 196 States Parties, including all the 194 Member States of WHO.

The third edition of the IHR reflects the amendments to Annex 7 that were adopted by the Sixty-seventh World Health Assembly through resolution WHA67.13 (2014). Under Annex 7, as amended, the period of protection from vaccination with an approved vaccine against infection with yellow fever, and the validity of the related certificate, are for the life of the person vaccinated rather than a period of ten years as previously required.

In accordance with the WHO Constitution and the IHR, this amendment entered into force for all States Parties on 11 July 2016. There were no reservations or rejections concerning the amendment submitted by any State Party within the period required by the IHR.

The third edition of the IHR also updates Appendix 1 containing the list of States Parties to the IHR  (to include Liechtenstein and South Sudan).

The IHR were further amended by the Seventy-fifth World Health Assembly through resolution WHA75.12 (2022) and the Seventy-seventh World Health Assembly through resolution WHA77.17 (2024). The third edition of the IHR does not reflect the afore-mentioned amendments. The IHR, as amended in 2022, are available at International Health Regulation (2005) (who.int).