HEALTH THREATS OF ALL STRIPES
In that each stripe is individually executed to be viewed at once alone and in conjunction with the others, Gene Davis’ Niagara Knife is not unlike public health at the global level. Each laboriously painted thin or thick stripe, each narrow or wide interval, each lyrical color combination a nation; marching bands of color a dazzling array of diversity and separateness; and altogether as Davis intended them, a bright ensemble, a symphony of color, a public health collaboration as spectacular as any bouquet of flowers. “Painting stripe paintings is a vigorous thing,” Davis said. Laboriously, line by line, the painting becomes an integrated total. The same vigor applies to drafting international regulations, including those intended to protect public health. Outbreak by outbreak, experience with Public Health Emergencies of International Concern delineates what requires international reporting to improve global health and emergency response. Distinguishing which events pose international threats is as ambiguous as a Davis painting, and therefore, implementation of the International Health Regulations has not yet realized its full potential.
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dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid1807.AC1807
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