globalization draft 1

During the past 20 years, at least 30 new diseases have emerged.  In this time of globalization, people are able to travel around the world and connect with each other more easily. Therefore, this will increase the risks of spreading infectious diseases more easily because people are usually carrying the virus unknowingly.  However, with the advancement of technology and science, scientists have found new ways of tackling infectious diseases, such as the use of genetic engineering. The World Health Organisation (WHO) links countries together for easy exchange of information regarding outbreaks of pandemics and also discusses preventive measures against these diseases.  These are some solutions that have been rolled out to tackle pandemics; Moreover, the individual should also be more vigilant towards the spread of these diseases and the government should work together to be more alert on the warning signs.

Countries should work closely together as a whole to be more alert on the warning signs. Due to globalization, countries have become more interconnected and interdependent on each other for the transport of people and goods.  An American and a Japanese having lunch in a Spanish restaurant in Beijing is no longer a strange scene; people are travelling around the world for business or leisure much more easily in a globalised world.  However, there is a flip-side in every situation: people usually forget that this increase in mobility thus accelerates the risk of the spread of diseases. SARS is one such example; it started as a regional outbreak in China, and spread rapidly within weeks along the routes of international air travel to over 25 countries and 5 continents. Patients carried the virus unknowingly, spreading the virus to the countries they travelled to.  Scientists have looked into using genetic engineering to alleviate this problem and its success can be shown in the total elimination of serious diseases such as small pox and hinderpest.  Technology may be able to help alleviate some diseases, but it is very time consuming and costly; a full clinical trial can cost up to a few million dollars and needs thousands of people to participate in it. Therefore, genetic engineering is not easily accessible to everybody, especially those living in Third World countries.  There is also a lack of national and international political will and resources to develop and support the system that are necessary to detect and stop the spread. Therefore, countries should work closely together as a whole to be more alert on the warning signs that may signal the start of the spread of a disease and exchange information to ensure closer cooperation between affected countries.  More could be done to help poorer countries in the transportation of medical facilities so that they can have easier access to medical supplies in times of need.

Government should also help to raise the awareness of the citizens regarding this issue.  The WHO and United Nations Health Committee have defined a set of rules and regulations prohibiting or limiting the international spread of diseases.  In order for these rules to be successfully rolled out, citizens have to be fully aware of its existence and this is where the government could do more to raise the citizen’s awareness of these rules.  This would also ensure that the nation would not break into panic if a pandemic really hits the country.  People should be more aware about infectious diseases, just like the Japanese are well-trained to face earthquakes; hence, if earthquakes were to hit their country, they would know how to react immediately.   Hence, in the same way, citizens should be educated to remain vigilant regarding the spread of diseases so that if there is an outbreak of infectious diseases, citizens would know the necessary precautionary actions to take.

In conclusion, global pandemic will still be the most challenging problem in the future. People couldn’t totally eliminated it. However, countries can help each other to make sure the information is updated and individuals can be more aware to prevent the spreading of disease.