Pandemics in the past have been vastly underrated for their ability and effect can possibly be. The Pandemic itself might not be ‘attacking’ the nation in the typical sense of the word, but it does attack in a different way and can be a much larger threat at times. Steps taken to these Pandemics have adapted over the years as they evolve and the nation has been threatened.
When people think of Pandemics they instantly remember learning about the effects of the Black Death. Going through 25 million people in the span of around five years in Europe alone which was a third of the population at the times, which does not compare to the quickness of the Spanish Flu from 1918-1919 which killed 20-40 million worldwide. The Spanish Flu killed more than the Great War did in its time. Pandemics have shown their global effects through their history, but many do not think of the effects on the State when Pandemics break out.
As seen with the Ebola virus the panic that results from Pandemics can hurt any government trying to work through the ordeal. Panic from the public also can be used as a dissuasion to not report the seriousness of a Pandemic as well though. With the Ebola virus, the effect of people not defining it as a crisis to save people the fear and panic that would arise could be seen as a great way for the Pandemic to spread. If the Pandemic was defined to the people and they knew what they were dealing with then they would have had the chance to change their ways just like they did at the end of the Ebola virus. The people taking it into their own hands to change the ways they do things so that the virus did not spread, and was treated as the highly infectious virus it was, was the major key to the stopping of the virus itself.
The Pandemic itself can be seen as the virus alone but the aftermath of these Pandemics can cause an immense change. Pandemics are without a doubt horrible and the loss of life cannot be wished for, but with each Pandemic, antiviruses have been developed and the furthering of the science within the field helps the overall. The Pandemic itself creates the national security threat but from this, we can better prepare ourselves so that these will not have as much of an effect as the last one. It is commonly said that these diseases are evolving and it is very hard to anticipate the next adaptation of the disease so creating an antivirus before they occur is near impossible, but with the advances that we have had in the recent times has allowed for us to stop the worldwide effects of the Pandemics. With protocols that shut down international travel and others that make public contamination spread in the first world countries allows for the national affect stay with the State and not affect others.
This ‘cover’ that we have for Pandemics/viruses can be seen as not enough though. When it comes to third world countries they do not have the same ability as the other countries for shutting down travel to stop the spreads. With the World Health Organization is able to help here but as seen with the Ebola virus these events can be held back from the public eye. The panic that would have resulted in declaring it a Pandemic was what was trying to be avoided and if the virus ended up being less than what was expected that they would have gotten critiqued for it. With this, there should be a median between the two where support can be increased to help with the possible Pandemic but not yet declared and not yet receiving the aid that would come from the Pandemic.
https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/50/12/1636/305066
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/ebola/response/phases/en/
https://unchronicle.un.org/article/national-security-and-pandemics
https://www.edge.org/conversation/nathan_wolfe-how-to-prevent-a-pandemic
When people think of Pandemics they instantly remember learning about the effects of the Black Death. Going through 25 million people in the span of around five years in Europe alone which was a third of the population at the times, which does not compare to the quickness of the Spanish Flu from 1918-1919 which killed 20-40 million worldwide. The Spanish Flu killed more than the Great War did in its time. Pandemics have shown their global effects through their history, but many do not think of the effects on the State when Pandemics break out.
As seen with the Ebola virus the panic that results from Pandemics can hurt any government trying to work through the ordeal. Panic from the public also can be used as a dissuasion to not report the seriousness of a Pandemic as well though. With the Ebola virus, the effect of people not defining it as a crisis to save people the fear and panic that would arise could be seen as a great way for the Pandemic to spread. If the Pandemic was defined to the people and they knew what they were dealing with then they would have had the chance to change their ways just like they did at the end of the Ebola virus. The people taking it into their own hands to change the ways they do things so that the virus did not spread, and was treated as the highly infectious virus it was, was the major key to the stopping of the virus itself.
The Pandemic itself can be seen as the virus alone but the aftermath of these Pandemics can cause an immense change. Pandemics are without a doubt horrible and the loss of life cannot be wished for, but with each Pandemic, antiviruses have been developed and the furthering of the science within the field helps the overall. The Pandemic itself creates the national security threat but from this, we can better prepare ourselves so that these will not have as much of an effect as the last one. It is commonly said that these diseases are evolving and it is very hard to anticipate the next adaptation of the disease so creating an antivirus before they occur is near impossible, but with the advances that we have had in the recent times has allowed for us to stop the worldwide effects of the Pandemics. With protocols that shut down international travel and others that make public contamination spread in the first world countries allows for the national affect stay with the State and not affect others.
This ‘cover’ that we have for Pandemics/viruses can be seen as not enough though. When it comes to third world countries they do not have the same ability as the other countries for shutting down travel to stop the spreads. With the World Health Organization is able to help here but as seen with the Ebola virus these events can be held back from the public eye. The panic that would have resulted in declaring it a Pandemic was what was trying to be avoided and if the virus ended up being less than what was expected that they would have gotten critiqued for it. With this, there should be a median between the two where support can be increased to help with the possible Pandemic but not yet declared and not yet receiving the aid that would come from the Pandemic.
https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/50/12/1636/305066
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/ebola/response/phases/en/
https://unchronicle.un.org/article/national-security-and-pandemics
https://www.edge.org/conversation/nathan_wolfe-how-to-prevent-a-pandemic
I like how you incorporated the historic examples of the Black Death and the Spanish Flu of 1918-1919. Growing up in New England I have always had access to some relatively old cemeteries going back to the 1700s. I have always been surprised by the number of people, including children, who got sick with the Spanish Flu and died practically in my own backyard. I think that looking back at historical examples illuminates how pandemic diseases truly do not discriminate, and they sicken and kill anybody from any walk of life. I like how you mentioned how panic often results during a pandemic which only intensifies an already intense situation. I think you are right in saying that with each pandemic we learn from our mistakes and respond to the inevitable next pandemic in a better way than the last.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statements. Proclaiming a national pandemic early can lead to much panic by the general populace and can lead to people taking actions that may initially further the spread of the disease and lead to more deaths. At the same time, neighboring countries must be made aware of the problems occurring near their borders so that they can take proactive measures against the disease if it were to spread to their borders, for it is almost impossible to prevent the disease from crossing borders, especially in third world countries where border control doesn't really exist. Also reaching out to the international community would allow countries with better resources to help those that are underdeveloped and may not be well equipped to deal with disease.
ReplyDeleteI like how your argument began with historical epidemics. This point shows how public health issues have, unfortunately, withstood the test of time. Pandemics are a security threat to all nations since combatting it considers difficult repercussions and simply can be hard to locate the source. In our world today, pandemics are essentially uncommon; however, if a disease were to occur in a undeveloped country would the world be prepared? As seen with Ebola and the help of the international community, this epidemic lasted almost two years. Therefore, maybe more precautions or work on public health policies need to be adapted in order to contain epidemics for possible future cases.
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