scholarly journals The value proposition of the Global Health Security Index

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (10) ◽  
pp. e003648
Author(s):  
Sanjana J Ravi ◽  
Kelsey Lane Warmbrod ◽  
Lucia Mullen ◽  
Diane Meyer ◽  
Elizabeth Cameron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Global Health ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Global Health Security ◽  
Health Security ◽  
Infectious Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Health Goals ◽  
Security Research ◽  
Security Index ◽  
Political Economic ◽  
Ranking Countries

Infectious disease outbreaks pose major threats to human health and security. Countries with robust capacities for preventing, detecting and responding to outbreaks can avert many of the social, political, economic and health system costs of such crises. The Global Health Security Index (GHS Index)—the first comprehensive assessment and benchmarking of health security and related capabilities across 195 countries—recently found that no country is sufficiently prepared for epidemics or pandemics. The GHS Index can help health security stakeholders identify areas of weakness, as well as opportunities to collaborate across sectors, collectively strengthen health systems and achieve shared public health goals. Some scholars have recently offered constructive critiques of the GHS Index’s approach to scoring and ranking countries; its weighting of select indicators; its emphasis on transparency; its focus on biosecurity and biosafety capacities; and divergence between select country scores and corresponding COVID-19-associated caseloads, morbidity, and mortality. Here, we (1) describe the practical value of the GHS Index; (2) present potential use cases to help policymakers and practitioners maximise the utility of the tool; (3) discuss the importance of scoring and ranking; (4) describe the robust methodology underpinning country scores and ranks; (5) highlight the GHS Index’s emphasis on transparency and (6) articulate caveats for users wishing to use GHS Index data in health security research, policymaking and practice.

scholarly journals COVID-19 and Global Health Security: Overview of the Global Health Security Alliance, COVID-19 Response, African Countries’ Approaches, and Ethics

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Belete Yimer ◽  
Wassachew Ashebir ◽  
Awraris Wolde ◽  
Muluken Teshome
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Global Health ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Global Health Security ◽  
Health Security ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Infectious Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The World ◽  
Pandemic Response

ABSTRACT Public health emergencies can arise from a wide range of causes, one of which includes outbreaks of contagion. The world has continued to be threatened by various infectious outbreaks of different types that have global consequences. While all pandemics are unique in their level of transmission and breadth of impact, the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is the deepest global crisis of the 21st century, which has affected nearly every country globally. Yet, going forward, there will be a continued need for global health security resources to protect people around the world against increasing infectious disease outbreaks frequency and intensity. Pandemic response policies and processes all need to be trusted for effective and ethical pandemic response. As the world can learn during the past few years about frequent infectious disease outbreaks, (these) diseases respect no borders, and, therefore, our spirit of solidarity must respect no borders in our efforts to stop the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and be better prepared to respond effectively to a health crisis in the future.

scholarly journals The Global Health Security Index: what value does it add?

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. e002477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Razavi ◽  
Ngozi Erondu ◽  
Ebere Okereke
Keyword(s):  
Global Health ◽  
Global Health Security ◽  
Health Security ◽  
Security Index

scholarly journals Assessing National Public Health Law to Prevent Infectious Disease Outbreaks: Immunization Law as a Basis for Global Health Security

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 412-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tsion Berhane Ghedamu ◽  
Benjamin Mason Meier
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Global Health ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Health Law ◽  
Global Health Security ◽  
Public Health Law ◽  
Health Security ◽  
National Immunization

Immunization plays a crucial role in global health security, preventing public health emergencies of international concern and protecting individuals from infectious disease outbreaks, yet these critical public health benefits are dependent on immunization law. Where public health law has become central to preventing, detecting, and responding to infectious disease, public health law reform is seen as necessary to implement the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA). This article examines national immunization laws as a basis to implement the GHSA and promote the public's health, analyzing the scope and content of these laws to prevent infectious disease across Sub-Saharan Africa. Undertaking policy surveillance of national immunization laws in 20 Sub-Saharan African countries, this study: (1) developed a legal framework to map the legal attributes relevant to immunization; (2) created an assessment tool to determine the presence of these attributes under national immunization law; and (3) applied this assessment tool to code national legal landscapes. An analysis of these coded laws highlights legal attributes that govern vaccine requirements, supply chains, vaccine administration standards, and medicines quality and manufacturer liability. Based upon this international policy surveillance, it will be crucial to undertake legal epidemiology research across countries, examining the influence of immunization law on vaccination rates and disease outbreaks.

Part II Predominant Security Challenges and International Law, Environmental Security, Ch.32 Pandemics and Other Health Emergencies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heath J Benton
Keyword(s):  
Global Health ◽  
International Health ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
World Health ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Global Health Security ◽  
Security Issue ◽  
Health Security ◽  
Internal Governance

This chapter traces the normative challenges underlying the legal framework for health security. Today’s challenges can be understood as the result of three successive stages of development in global health law. First was the securitization of global public health, whereby a diffuse group of international and national health officials, outside experts, and advocates worked to redefine infectious disease outbreaks as a critical national and international security issue. Secondly, this concept of global health security was inscribed in law through the 2005 revisions to the International Health Regulations, which adopted a governance framework that appeared to be deliberately modelled on domestic emergency powers regimes. Thirdly, this development, rather than settling the World Health Organization’s (WHO) authority in health emergencies, has in turn set off waves of contestation that concern the nature of global health security and how it should be institutionalized. This includes contestation about the internal governance arrangements within the WHO; external conflicts of jurisdiction between the WHO and other institutions; and disagreement about the normative orientation and scope of the WHO’s emergency power.

scholarly journals How the global health security index and environment factor influence the spread of COVID-19: A country level analysis

One Health ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 100235
Author(s):  
Bruno Grespan Leichtweis ◽  
Letícia de Faria Silva ◽  
Felipe Lopes da Silva ◽  
Luiz Alexandre Peternelli
Keyword(s):  
Global Health ◽  
Global Health Security ◽  
Health Security ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Environment Factor ◽  
Security Index ◽  
Level Analysis

Global Determinants of Covid-19 Deaths: Lockdown Dates and Social Distancing Measures Mattered (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent Hooper
Keyword(s):  
Population Density ◽  
Global Health ◽  
Secondary Outcome ◽  
Global Health Security ◽  
Contextual Variables ◽  
Health Security ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
The World ◽  
Airline Passengers ◽  
Security Index

UNSTRUCTURED The severity of this global pandemic and focus upon its devastating effects upon local communities has tended to be through the media with time series graphics at the national level. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to examine the cross-national differences in the deaths caused by covid-19, and relate that to a range of contextual variables. Objectives: The objective of this paper is to examine the influence that various contextual variables have upon the number of deaths due to covid-19, across the world. Setting Level: This study utilizes data for 125 countries for contextual variables from 1st January 2020 until the 15th June 2020. Participants: This study considers deaths from covid-19. Interventions: DELETED Primary and secondary outcome measures: The contextual variables considered in this study are stringency index, stringency variability, lockdown date, population density, level of airline passengers and country health security index. Results: It is shown there is a very strong association between the level of airline passengers and covid-19 deaths. The results from regression analysis conducted in this study show significant positive relationships at the 5% level of statistical significance between Deaths from covid-19 and airline passenger levels and stringency variability; significant negative relationships are revealed for stringency index and lockdown date supporting the notion that lock down and social distancing measures mattered and were effective. The Global health security index and population density did not significantly affect deaths. Conclusion: This study highlights the strong link between a country’s airline passengers and covid-19 deaths and found that the lockdown date and stringency measures had a significant effect upon deaths. The implications of the research is that lockdown and stringency measures implemented by governments around the world worked and mattered. Further, the fact that global health security did not affect deaths may indicate better preparedness required to confront future pandemics. Trial Registration: DELETED INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR2-doi.org/10.1101/2020.07.28.20163394

scholarly journals Validation analysis of Global Health Security Index (GHSI) scores 2019

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (10) ◽  
pp. e003276
Author(s):  
Matthew J Boyd ◽  
Nick Wilson ◽  
Cassidy Nelson
Keyword(s):  
Global Health ◽  
External Validity ◽  
Communicable Disease ◽  
Communicable Diseases ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Global Health Security ◽  
Health Security ◽  
Future Events ◽  
Security Index ◽  
The Impact

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic powerfully demonstrates the consequences of biothreats. Countries will want to know how to better prepare for future events. The Global Health Security Index (GHSI) is a broad, independent assessment of 195 countries’ preparedness for biothreats that may aid this endeavour. However, to be useful, the GHSI’s external validity must be demonstrated. We aimed to validate the GHSI against a range of external metrics to assess how it could be utilised by countries.MethodsGlobal aggregate communicable disease outcomes were correlated with GHSI scores and linear regression models were examined to determine associations while controlling for a number of global macroindices. GHSI scores for countries previously exposed to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome and Ebola and recipients of US Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) investment were compared with matched control countries. Possible content omissions in light of the progressing COVID-19 pandemic were assessed.ResultsGHSI scores for countries had strong criterion validity against the Joint External Evaluation ReadyScore (rho=0.82, p<0.0001), and moderate external validity against deaths from communicable diseases (−0.56, p<0.0001). GHSI scores were associated with reduced deaths from communicable diseases (F(3, 172)=22.75, p<0.0001). The proportion of deaths from communicable diseases decreased 4.8% per 10-point rise in GHSI. Recipient countries of the GHSA (n=31) and SARS-affected countries (n=26), had GHSI scores 6.0 (p=0.0011) and 8.2 (p=0.0010) points higher than matched controls, respectively. Biosecurity and biosafety appear weak globally including in high-income countries, and health systems, particularly in Africa, are not prepared. Notably, the GHSI does not account for all factors important for health security.ConclusionThe GHSI shows promise as a valid tool to guide action on biosafety, biosecurity and systems preparedness. However, countries need to look beyond existing metrics to other factors moderating the impact of future pandemics and other biothreats. Consideration of anthropogenic and large catastrophic scenarios is also needed.

Legal Challenges to the International Deployment of Government Public Health and Medical Personnel during Public Health Emergencies: Impact on National and Global Health Security

2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (S1) ◽  
pp. 103-106
Author(s):  
Brent Davidson ◽  
Susan Sherman ◽  
Leila Barraza ◽  
Maria Julia Marinissen
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Global Health ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Regional Security ◽  
Global Health Security ◽  
Potential Threat ◽  
President Obama ◽  
Health Security

In an increasingly interconnected global community, severe disasters or disease outbreaks in one country or region may rapidly impact global health security. As seen during the responses to the earthquakes in Haiti and Japan, Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, and the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa, local response capacities can be rapidly overwhelmed and international assistance may be necessary to support the affected region to respond and recover and to protect other countries from the spread of disease. For example, President Obama stated on September 16, 2014, that “if the [Ebola] outbreak is not stopped now, we could be looking at hundreds of thousands of people infected, with profound political and economic and security implications for all of us…. [T]his…is not just a threat to regional security — it’s a potential threat to global security if these countries break down…. And that’s why…I directed my team to make this a national security priority.”

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