Addressing A New Paradigm: Infectious Diseases And National Security

“If it creates instability, chaos, conflict and war, that has national security implications.” – Samuel R. Berger

Conventionally, national security has been defined as the safeguarding the state from physical threats. The last two or three decades have seen sharp rise in other non-traditional threats, such as drugs, and diseases. Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, and their pandemic potential, pose a challenge to national security in the 21^st century that cannot be overlooked. The historical threat to national security by epidemic diseases is not new; however the threat has increased in recent past and is growing rapidly in developing countries like Pakistan. There are many lines of attack that infectious diseases can intimidate national security i.e. increased rates of morbidity and mortality, massive damage on public health and health infrastructure, political instability, and economic volatility.

The world has changed noticeably ever since World Health Organization (WHO) issued its first set of legally binding regulations aimed at preventing the international spread of disease. At that point in time, the disease situation was quite stable, new diseases were rare and drugs had transfigured the care of many recognized infectious diseases. However, today’s vastly itinerant, interdependent and interconnected world provides innumerable opportunities for the quick stretch of infectious diseases and toxic threats. Infectious diseases are now spreading geographically much faster than at any time in history and currently are the second leading cause of death worldwide and the leading cause of morbidity. Roughly, there are now nearly 40 to 50 diseases that were unknown a generation ago and disease outbreaks – whether natural, accidental or deliberate in origin, are an increasingly salient national security concern.

Historically, literature on health and security has been scarce and only in the past few years a body of literature on health and security has emerged. At the nexus of health and security lie many poignant examples of the growing threat of biological weapons, the negative impact of naturally occurring infectious diseases, the migration and proliferation of emerging and reemerging infectious diseases to non-endemic areas that fabricate a strong case for including health concerns in the national security debate. Though, health and security have traditionally occupied separate domains, in recent years the imperative fusion between health and national security has been recognized by policymakers, security and defence analysts in both developed and developing countries. Conversely, many medical innovations and technologies currently used in emergency rooms and operating theatres have military origins. Breakthroughs in surgery, trauma care, circulatory access, prosthetics and rehabilitation have come from the field of battle or military R&D.

In Pakistan, the emergence and re-emergence of Chikungunya in Sindh province and spread of Chickenpox in Punjab province along with the dispersion of infectious diseases geographically throughout country demonstrate that Ministry of Health (MoH) and Ministry of Defence (MoD) are not incorporated and interconnected to address the national health and security issues. Likewise, research and development (R&D) for new tools and technologies to prevent, detect and respond to emerging disease threats and outbreaks have not been considered with growing need in the country. As seen with the Chikungunya and Chickenpox outbreaks, there is a shortage of appropriate diagnostics and vaccines to manage the response and lack of regulatory framework for fast-tracking and surveillance technology, tools and techniques when respond is indispensable.

To cut a long story short, the link between infectious diseases and national security is relatively a new concept in Pakistan. A new paradigm is needed that link infectious diseases to national security and recognize the broad effects of diseases on our society. Response to infectious disease threats should be strategic priority of health and security agencies. Ministry of Defence (MoD) needs to acknowledge its role in ensuring that the state’s population is fit and healthy since there are no signs that the Ministry of Defense (MoD) is awakening to this responsibility. At a time when our conceptions of national security are evolving rapidly, we must look hard at uncertain and non-traditional threats, exceptionally. With uncertainty and ambiguity, a large amount of work is needed to bring analytical clarity to the health and national security paradigm.

http://www.diplomacypakistan.com/articles/addressing-a-new-paradigm-infectious-diseases-and-national-security/