The Multilevel Dimension of Rules-Based Disease Surveillance beyond the State

The timely availability of accurate information on disease outbreaks with a potential for cross-border spread is a global public good, allowing for a more effective preparedness and response. An ensuing question for national public health authorities is how such information is attained when it is gathered in territories beyond their jurisdiction. International and regional law norms emerge as an option for providing such a global public good. Therefore, the current article examines existing legal frameworks for ad hoc disease surveillance beyond the state at the international and regional levels, namely: the World Health Organization's International Health Regulations of 2005; Regulation (EC) No. 851/2004 and Decision No. 1082/2013/EU in the European Union; the Statute of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention within the African Union; and the Protocol from the Economic Community of West African States, which created the West African Health Organisation. The comparison offers broader insights on the role of rules as a vehicle for securing prompt and reliable information of new and re-emerging communicable diseases, such as Covid-19.