Health practice questions.

Under the International Health Regulations (2005), what is the core legal obligation placed on states parties?

• To vaccinate a fixed percentage of their population against listed diseases
• To grant WHO inspectors unrestricted access to their entire territory during any disease outbreak
• To notify WHO of events that may be a public health emergency of international concern
• To close their borders within 48 hours of any confirmed outbreak

Answer: To notify WHO of events that may be a public health emergency of international concern

The IHR (2005) require states to build surveillance capacity and to notify WHO of potential public health emergencies of international concern; they do not give WHO enforcement powers or mandate border closures.

COVAX, launched in 2020, was primarily designed to:

• Pool purchasing power to distribute COVID-19 vaccines fairly worldwide
• Settle trade disputes over medical equipment at the WTO
• Fund WHO's emergency response operations in conflict zones
• Coordinate joint pharmaceutical research between the EU and the African Union

Answer: Pool purchasing power to distribute COVID-19 vaccines fairly worldwide

COVAX (co-led by WHO, Gavi and CEPI) pooled demand and funding to secure vaccines for all participating states, especially lower-income ones — an attempt to counter vaccine nationalism.

The migration of doctors and nurses from low-income to high-income countries ('medical brain drain') best illustrates which tension in global health politics?

• The clash between WHO regional offices and its headquarters
• The conflict between freedom of movement and the health capacity of poorer states
• The rivalry between bilateral and multilateral aid donors
• The dispute over intellectual property rights in global vaccine production

Answer: The conflict between freedom of movement and the health capacity of poorer states

Health workers exercise a recognised right to migrate, yet their departure weakens already fragile health systems in sending states — a rights-versus-capacity dilemma at the heart of global health politics.

A common criticism of large private actors such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in global health is that they:

• Refuse to fund vaccination programmes in low-income states
• Operate only through state governments and ignore NGOs
• Contribute too small a share of total global health financing to make any difference
• Shape the global health agenda with their resources while remaining unaccountable

Answer: Shape the global health agenda with their resources while remaining unaccountable

Philanthropic foundations command budgets rivalling WHO programmes, giving them agenda-setting power without the accountability mechanisms that apply to states or intergovernmental organisations.

The 'One Health' approach to global health challenges is defined by its insistence that:

• Human, animal and environmental health are linked and governed as one
• All states should adopt a single universal health insurance model
• Health policy should be centralised in one UN agency
• Primary health care should completely replace hospital-based medicine worldwide

Answer: Human, animal and environmental health are linked and governed as one

One Health responds to zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance by integrating human medicine, veterinary science and environmental policy, since most emerging infections cross species boundaries.

Which statement best captures the changing global burden of disease relevant to health politics today?

• Infectious diseases still remain the single leading cause of death in every region of the world
• Non-communicable diseases are only a challenge for high-income states
• Non-communicable diseases now cause most deaths in low- and middle-income countries too
• Malnutrition has been eliminated as a driver of ill health

Answer: Non-communicable diseases now cause most deaths in low- and middle-income countries too

The epidemiological transition means NCDs now account for the majority of deaths globally, including in developing states — creating a 'double burden' alongside persisting infectious disease.