The tool is intended for use prior to public health emergencies, to build the human capacity needed to develop and agree MTAs for diagnostic and public health purposes during an emergency, taking into account the full range of associated considerations. It will also build capacity outside of an emergency, or for subsequent discussions on further use of samples.
The tool is not meant to be prescriptive, but rather it is meant to provide users with options and examples of proven solutions and language.
It is not intended to be used to develop an MTA during a public health emergency. During the consultation phase, WHO received input that the tool had an overly broad menu of terms. We have taken these comments into consideration, and have adapted the tool accordingly. This remains a draft and we look forward to receiving further comments on whether WHO has achieved the right balance.
During a public health emergency, transfers covered by MTAs will be important for a variety of important purposes, including the identification and characterization of the responsible pathogen, diagnostic purposes, clinical decision making, epidemiology, the development or validation of diagnostic tools as well as medical countermeasure development.