The Impact of Globalization on Infectious Disease Emergence and Control: Exploring the Consequences and Opportunities

Excerpt

This summary is organized as a topic-by-topic description of the presentations and discussions from the workshop. The purpose is to present lessons from relevant experience, delineate a range of pivotal issues and their respective problems, and put forth some potential responses as described by the workshop participants. The Summary and Assessment discusses the core messages that emerged from the working group discussions. Chapter 1 summarizes the presentations and discussions related to the increasing cross-border and cross-continental movements of people, products, pathogens, and power, and how these affect the emergence and spread of infectious diseases. Chapter 2 provides a summary of the presentations and discussions that revolved around the changing global landscape and how this could exacerbate the emergence and global spread of infectious diseases. Chapter 3 focuses on the opportunities and obstacles surrounding the global application of knowledge, tools, and technology that result from increasing globalization. Chapter 4 summarizes the means by which sovereign states and nations must adopt a global public health mind-set and develop a new organizational framework to maximize the opportunities and overcome the challenges created by globalization and build the necessary capacity to respond effectively to emerging infectious disease threats.