Globalization and Human Infectious Disease

Indianapolis, IN

Globalization involves the "flow of information, goods, capital, and people across political and geographic boundaries" (Daulaire 1). As people and goods have been able to move more freely and rapidly around the globe, the biological agents responsible for infectious disease have followed the same trend. Though it may increase the speed at which infectious diseases have spread due to a more interconnected world, globalization also leads to the dissemination of new technologies and methods to combat these diseases and unites countries and puts their individual strengths into a collaborative global effort. Thus, the positive outcomes of globalization outweigh the negative in regards to the spread of infectious diseases. This presentation will illustrate this position through three infectious diseases, West Nile Virus, HIV/AIDS, and the H1N1 flu pandemic, with a focus on where the disease originated and how it has spread, as well as how the world has responded to the threat of the disease.