Page 5 of 8
CM18.1-3 | International Health — Practice Quiz
Click any question card to reveal the correct answer.
International health is best defined as the branch of public health that:
Correct. International health is defined as the field addressing health issues that cross national boundaries and require cooperative multilateral action — as stated in Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine.
Key distinction: international health ≠ national public health extended abroad. It specifically involves cross-border determinants (e.g., disease outbreaks, trade, migration) that no single government can address alone.
Incorrect. International health goes beyond single nations and beyond travellers or donor funding. Its defining feature is the transnational nature of health problems requiring multilateral solutions.
Click to reveal answer
The headquarters of the World Health Organization (WHO) is located in:
Correct. WHO headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland. It was established in 1948 and has 6 regional offices worldwide.
Mnemonics: Geneva → Geneva Convention → international bodies. UNICEF and UNDP are in New York; WHO is in Geneva. India falls under WHO's South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO), headquartered in New Delhi.
Incorrect. WHO is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland — not in New York (UN General Assembly), Brussels, or Vienna.
Click to reveal answer
Which of the following best describes the primary mandate of UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund)?
Correct. UNICEF's mandate centres on child rights, survival, development, and protection — operationalised through immunisation, nutrition, WASH, education, and child protection programmes.
Agency-mandate mapping: WHO = health norms/standards/emergency response; UNICEF = children and mothers; World Bank = development finance; UNDP = sustainable development goals.
Incorrect. Technical health system strengthening is primarily WHO's role; infrastructure financing is the World Bank's domain; drug licensing falls under WHO's prequalification programme.
Click to reveal answer
The International Health Regulations 2005 (IHR 2005) are primarily designed to:
Correct. IHR 2005 aims to prevent, protect against, control, and provide a public health response to the international spread of disease while avoiding unnecessary interference with international traffic and trade.
IHR 2005 key facts: legally binding on 196 states parties; entered into force 15 June 2007; core capacities required (detection, assessment, reporting, response); the basis for Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) declaration.
Incorrect. IHR 2005 is not about pharmaceutical trade regulation, domestic financing, or bilateral agreements — it is specifically about preventing international spread of disease while minimising impact on travel and trade.
Click to reveal answer
A Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) can only be declared by:
Correct. Under IHR 2005 Article 12, only the WHO Director-General has the authority to declare a PHEIC, following consultation with the Emergency Committee (expert panel) and with the affected member state.
PHEIC process: (1) Member state notifies WHO → (2) WHO Director-General convenes Emergency Committee → (3) If 3 criteria met (extraordinary, cross-border, requires international response) → PHEIC declared. Notable PHEICs: H1N1 2009, Ebola 2014, Zika 2016, COVID-19 2020, Mpox 2022.
Incorrect. The UN Security Council, individual member states, and the World Bank have no authority to declare a PHEIC. This power is exclusively vested in the WHO Director-General.
Click to reveal answer
Statement 1 (Assertion):
The World Bank is an important actor in international health despite not being a health organisation.
BECAUSE
Statement 2 (Reason):
The World Bank finances health system investments, funds disease control programmes, and produces global health data that influence policy in low- and middle-income countries.
Select the correct relationship:
Correct. The World Bank's substantial health lending, including the International Development Association (IDA) credits and International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) loans for disease control and health infrastructure, makes it a pivotal health actor even though health is not its sole mandate.
World Bank headquarters: Washington D.C. Its health role includes: financing health infrastructure; funding disease eradication campaigns (e.g. polio, malaria); the 'Disease Control Priorities' (DCP) series; and the Human Capital Project which links health investment to economic growth.
Incorrect. Both the assertion (World Bank influences health) and the reason (through financing and data production) are accurate, and the financial mechanisms stated are indeed why it has significant health influence.
Click to reveal answer
CLINICAL SCENARIO
A district health officer in a southern Indian state identifies an unusual cluster of severe respiratory illness with 3 deaths among contacts of international travellers. The state health secretary reports this to the central government. India's NCDC activates its surveillance protocols.
Answer the following questions based on the scenario above.
Click to reveal answer
Under IHR 2005, India is required to notify WHO of this event if it meets the criteria for a 'public health emergency of international concern potential event'. Which of the following criteria does NOT need to be met for mandatory notification?
Correct. IHR 2005's decision instrument does not require pathogen identification before notification — the assessment is based on clinical and epidemiological features. Early notification is encouraged even when the cause is unknown.
Incorrect. Pathogen identification is NOT a prerequisite for IHR notification. The assessment tool uses four criteria: public health impact, unusual/unexpected nature, international spread risk, and travel/trade restrictions risk. Causative pathogen identification is not listed.
Click to reveal answer
Under IHR 2005, which Indian institution serves as the National IHR Focal Point responsible for communicating with WHO about this event?
Correct. India's National IHR Focal Point is the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi. It is the 24/7 contact for WHO communications under IHR 2005.
Incorrect. NCDC is India's IHR Focal Point. ICMR conducts research; CDSCO regulates drugs; DGHS oversees health services — but IHR communications go through NCDC.
Click to reveal answer