Background the World Health Organization issued revised Inter-

Full list of author information is available at the end of the articleEmerging public health threats often originate in coun-tries that lack many public health resources and infra-structure [1]. Because of the rapidity with which these diseases can spread, particularly with international air travel, early detection of disease outbreaks is extraordin-arily important because it can provide for a quicker re-sponse and potentially limit morbidity, mortality, and the spread of the outbreak. In recognition of this fact, national Health Regulations in 2005 (IHR 2005) that took effect in 2007. The purpose of IHR 2005 is to en-hance global cooperation and protect populations from emerging health threats [2] by requiring participating countries to “develop core capacities for surveillance, detection, reporting and response. ” These core capacities include legislation and financing, national and international communication, preparedness, human resources, and laboratory resources. The 195 member nations of the World Health Organization had until the summer of 2012 to comply with IHR 2005, whic