Global Civics and Pandemics
Pandemics is a worldwide spread of a new disease or as Mark Harrison pointed out, that it may exist on
more than one continent and is contagious. This issue has been global phenomena since a very long
time, dating back to plagues that spread across nations, and devoured millions of people, plunging them
to death. An example of a worldwide spread of infectious disease is Cholera, which originated from
Bengal in India in 1817, and spread rapidly like wildfire to not only the whole of India and Asia, but it
engulfed Europe and the Pacific West as well. These Pandemics not only physically affect the health of
millions of people, but also cripple well established economies, as many nation-states are forced to
enforce trade embargos and sanctions against each other to prevent the spread to their nation. This
could be further described with the same example of the Cholera disease in the 19 th century, where
many western European nations places sanctions on India, refusing to trade with the nation, and as a
result bringing India’s economy to a standstill. Many nation states may even use Pandemics as an excuse
to justify its protectionist policy against rival countries, which may even lead to international political
tensions and economic devastation.
According to Larry Brilliant, we are far more capable of dealing with a Pandemic today, than in 1918.
However, Bill Gates seems to add to the same perspective, by adding to the discussion how, despite the
technological and scientific advancement we have made yet, we still do not have established
frameworks to prevent the spread of an outbreak of an epidemic. Gates believes that we are currently
not equipped to handle and defeat an epidemic. He gave the example of Ebola which spread from
remote regions in Africa, killing 10,000 people with its spread. Because there was no established system
or procedure to combat the epidemic, neither were there any epidemiologists or medical team ready to
go to the affected areas and help the victims or come towards a breakthrough of curing the epidemic.
Even today, WHO has established international regulations which have to be used by nations against
pandemics, while also issuing scientific guidelines to the nature of the epidemic. Moreover, the Sanitary
and Fighter Sanitary Agreement of 1995 which is enforced by WTO, aims to help control and establish
surveillance of epidemics. These regulations aim to ensure common and joint responses by nations
worldwide to epidemics, and also to prevent the abuse of these measures. However, these regulations
have proved inadequate in achieving its goals, because states continue to Abuse the measures and have
their own way around dealing with epidemics. Ultimately, even today, pandemics are again the root
cause of economic devastation and political tensions between nation states. This can be seen on the ban
of American pork by nations such as Russia and China, who, despite WHO scientific evidence, continued
to believe that American Pork caused swine flu.
As Bill Gates has emphasized, there is an immediate need of a global alert and response system. He
believes health systems need to be strengthened in poor countries since they are more vulnerable to
attack of new and old epidemics. All nations should cooperate together to eradicate the epidemic by
establishing medical CORPS and providing aid in every form (funds, volunteers, military transport, etc.).
An international public health guidelines should be established which will have to be implemented by all
Pandemics is a worldwide spread of a new disease or as Mark Harrison pointed out, that it may exist on
more than one continent and is contagious. This issue has been global phenomena since a very long
time, dating back to plagues that spread across nations, and devoured millions of people, plunging them
to death. An example of a worldwide spread of infectious disease is Cholera, which originated from
Bengal in India in 1817, and spread rapidly like wildfire to not only the whole of India and Asia, but it
engulfed Europe and the Pacific West as well. These Pandemics not only physically affect the health of
millions of people, but also cripple well established economies, as many nation-states are forced to
enforce trade embargos and sanctions against each other to prevent the spread to their nation. This
could be further described with the same example of the Cholera disease in the 19 th century, where
many western European nations places sanctions on India, refusing to trade with the nation, and as a
result bringing India’s economy to a standstill. Many nation states may even use Pandemics as an excuse
to justify its protectionist policy against rival countries, which may even lead to international political
tensions and economic devastation.
According to Larry Brilliant, we are far more capable of dealing with a Pandemic today, than in 1918.
However, Bill Gates seems to add to the same perspective, by adding to the discussion how, despite the
technological and scientific advancement we have made yet, we still do not have established
frameworks to prevent the spread of an outbreak of an epidemic. Gates believes that we are currently
not equipped to handle and defeat an epidemic. He gave the example of Ebola which spread from
remote regions in Africa, killing 10,000 people with its spread. Because there was no established system
or procedure to combat the epidemic, neither were there any epidemiologists or medical team ready to
go to the affected areas and help the victims or come towards a breakthrough of curing the epidemic.
Even today, WHO has established international regulations which have to be used by nations against
pandemics, while also issuing scientific guidelines to the nature of the epidemic. Moreover, the Sanitary
and Fighter Sanitary Agreement of 1995 which is enforced by WTO, aims to help control and establish
surveillance of epidemics. These regulations aim to ensure common and joint responses by nations
worldwide to epidemics, and also to prevent the abuse of these measures. However, these regulations
have proved inadequate in achieving its goals, because states continue to Abuse the measures and have
their own way around dealing with epidemics. Ultimately, even today, pandemics are again the root
cause of economic devastation and political tensions between nation states. This can be seen on the ban
of American pork by nations such as Russia and China, who, despite WHO scientific evidence, continued
to believe that American Pork caused swine flu.
As Bill Gates has emphasized, there is an immediate need of a global alert and response system. He
believes health systems need to be strengthened in poor countries since they are more vulnerable to
attack of new and old epidemics. All nations should cooperate together to eradicate the epidemic by
establishing medical CORPS and providing aid in every form (funds, volunteers, military transport, etc.).
An international public health guidelines should be established which will have to be implemented by all
