Public Health Crisis in War and Conflict - Health Security in Aggregate

Abstract

Objective: Public health status of populations is multifactorial and besides other factors it is linked to war and conflict. Public health crisis can erupt when states go to war or are invaded; health security may be reduced for affected populations.

Methods: This study reviews in aggregate multiple indices of human security, human development and legitimacy of the state in order to describe a predictable global health portrait.

Results: Paradigm shift of large global powers to that non-state actors and proxies impact regional influence through scaled conflict and present major global health challenges for policy makers. Small scale conflict with large scale violence threatens health security for at-risk populations.

Conclusions: The paper concludes that health security is directly proportional to state security.

Keywords: fragile and failed states; global health; health security; infectious disease; non-communicable disease; public health.