Infectious Diseases No Longer a Domestic Issue

Infectious diseases, such as SARS, avian flu, and the chronic spread of HIV/AIDS, can no longer be treated merely as domestic problems. In an era when such diseases can be transported from one continent to another in a matter of hours, they must be treated as international in scope, write Simon Rushton and Colin McInnes of the Centre for Health and International Relations Department of International Politics University of Wales, Aberystwyth .

Aside from the unintentional spread of these diseases, there is the added challenge of bioterrorism, now considered a real threat following the Sept. 11 attacks.

“In our increasingly interdependent world, health has become a global issue. No longer can it be dealt with by the Department of Health alone,” they write. “It is now a foreign policy issue. It is a security issue. And it is an international development issue.

“In fact, tackling these issues requires international co-operation and cannot be achieved effectively by governments acting solo. Contagious diseases do not respect international borders.”

Posted by Jim Langcuster at January 31, 2006 06:08 PM | TrackBack