Introduction On 15 July 2007, the International Health Regulations 2005 (IHR, 2005) officially entered into force following a 12-year process to update the only intergovernmental legal framework specifically designed to limit the global spread of infectious diseases, while minimizing disruption to international traffic and trade. Although the decision to fundamentally rethink and update the IHR was made as early as 1995, the greater part of diplomatic negotiations were completed at three meetings held by the Intergovernmental Working Group on Revision of the International Health Regulations (IGWG) between November 2004 and May 2005. The proposed text that emerged from the IGWG meetings was then submitted to the World Health Assembly (WHA) in May 2005, where it was adopted by member states. This began an 18-month grace period that concluded in July 2007, when the IHR became binding on all member states of the World Health Organization (WHO).