The International Health Regulations (IHR) are an international legal biding instrument for 194 countries across the globe, including all the Member States of WHO. The IHR, which entered into force on 15 June 2007, require countries to report certain disease outbreaks and public health events to WHO.

Their aim is to help the international community prevent and respond to acute public health risks that have the potential to cross borders and threaten people worldwide.

The Integrated Disease Surveillance (IDS) Programme ensures the availability of guidelines for integrated disease surveillance and response. It provides necessary technical support for strengthening national communicable disease surveillance systems through the implementation of the Regional Strategy for Integrated Disease Surveillance and the International health Regulations.