Infectious diseases in the age of globalization

Abstract Disease has long followed trade and migration pathways, although one of the disconcerting developments in the post-1980 globalization era has been the rise of pandemic risk due to inexpensive travel, mass migration, and the rapid movement of peoples worldwide. New and emergent infectious diseases (e.g. severe acute respiratory syndrome, Ebola, Zika) co-exist with extensively drug-resistant older infectious illnesses (e.g. tuberculosis, malaria), while the spread of other endemic infections is accelerated by climate change. Antimicrobial resistance has risen near the top of global health threats, posing health security risks within and between countries. Globalization-related weakening of health systems in poorer countries heightens these risks, alongside the medical misuse of existing antibiotics and inappropriate antibiotic use in industrial husbandry (animal farming). Fears of untreatable pandemics have galvanized initiatives at international levels for tighter health regulations and reporting systems, and rapid mobilizations in cases of new outbreaks.