“Today, diseases as common as the
cold and as rare as Ebola are circling the globe with near telephonic speed,
making long-distance connections and intercontinental infections almost as if
by satellite. You needn’t even bother to reach out and touch someone. If you
live, if you’re homoeothermic biomass, you will be reached and touched” (Angier,
2001).
Introduction:
In his TED talk, Goldin (2009) mentions
that globalisation has caused the world to become more complex and functionally
integrated. This means that local events may have global consequences. Globalisation,
the increase of “flows and influences of capital and goods, information and
ideas, and people and forces, as well as environmentally and biologically
relevant substances” across multi-continental distances, has facilitated the
spread of emerging infectious diseases around the world (Keohane & Nye,
2000). Using the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic in 2003 as a
case study, this essay seeks to discuss that contemporary globalisation has
resulted in greater human mobility which contributes to the spread of the virus
to 37 countries within weeks. This essay will also evaluate the measures taken
to tackle this global health threat.
Human mobility:
Armelagos and Harper (2010) assert
that we are witnessing a re-emergence of infectious diseases due to
anthropogenic factors. As a result of globalisation and technological advances,
more people are becoming mobile with the ability to travel more frequently as
well as visit areas that used to be remote and inaccessible (Wilson, 2007). According
to the World Tourism Organization (2014), more than a billion tourists travelled
outside their countries in 2013. This is notwithstanding the undocumented travellers,
internal migrants and the millions more who crossed national borders for other reasons.
With a highly efficient
transportation system, it is now possible to reach most places in the world
within two days which is “within the incubation period of most infectious
diseases” (Wilson, 2007). Furthermore,
travel often involves multiple shared spaces such as airplanes and hotels, where
people from different origins congregate together before moving to different
destinations. These networks of global travel become conduits for pathogen
transmissions, allowing infectious diseases to spread quickly and extensively.
The rapid dispersal of SARS in 2003
is an apposite example of how the world’s interconnectedness has facilitated
the spread of the virus. SARS first appeared in Guangdong province of China in
November 2002. However, the Chinese government failed to raise alarm until
February 2003. SARS was subsequently reported outside of China a month later. A
Chinese doctor from Guangdong who had been treating patients with ‘atypical
pneumonia’ went to Hong Kong and stayed on the 9th floor of the Metropole
Hotel. Other international guests who stayed on the same floor soon became
infected with the virus. Due to its long incubation period, these guests who
felt well at the beginning travelled out of Hong Kong, bringing the virus into
Canada, Vietnam and Singapore. In the next few months, SARS spread to other countries
in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, North and South America. By the time the
outbreak was contained, there were a total of 8,437 known cases with 813
fatalities (Mwambi & Zuma, 2007).
In response to the epidemic, the World
Health Organization (WHO) (2003b) issued an international health warning on
SARS and travel advisories to regions affected by the virus on March 2003. In
the following month, the agency recommended that people should postpone all but
essential travel to Hong Kong, certain provinces in China and Toronto, Canada. The
WHO (2003c) also recommended screening of air passengers departing from certain
affected areas in an attempt to prevent travel-related spread of SARS.
The SARS epidemic highlighted limitations
the WHO encountered in identifying and controlling its spread. Based on
international health regulations in 2003, countries are only required to notify
the agency of yellow fever, cholera and plague outbreaks (Federation of
American Scientists, 2003). It then has the authority to intervene and restrict
trans-boundary movements. With other diseases however, the WHO can only take on
an advisory role which means that the organisation has a limited ability to
respond to outbreaks. The global health threat was exacerbated as China failed
to report promptly and openly about SARS. The delay proved deadly as travellers
transmitted the virus around the world after visiting Hong Kong (Huang, 2004).
Furthermore, not everyone is
willing to cooperate with these guidelines. For instance, a man suspected of
having SARS still managed to board his plane on May 2003 (Federation of
American Scientists, 2003). While some view freedom of movement as a human
right, others question the ethics in issuing SARS related travel advisories or
compulsory quarantines (Paquin, 2007; Teo, Yeoh & Ong, 2005).
Since 2003, the WHO (2003a) has
taken a stronger role in coordinating and leading the fight against any
infectious disease that threatens global health. The “strengthening of systems
for outbreak alerts and response” is seen as an ideal way to defend global
health security.
Conclusion:
Diseases transcend boundaries. As
the world becomes more functionally integrated coupled with the unprecedented
volume, reach and speed of human mobility, the risk of emerging infectious
diseases transmitting around the world is set to rise. However, the very
interconnectedness that allows pathogens to spread globally also offers
mechanisms and tools to address global health threats. Through global
mobilisation and multilateralism, global health security can be enhanced when
“global solidarity is placed above national sovereignty” (Heymann, 2006). As
individuals, we can all play a part by being responsible global citizens who prioritise
societal rights over individual liberties in the event of a disease outbreak.
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