Pandemic Preparedness and Public Health Expenditure

The motive behind this article is investigating alternative indicator measures for the effectiveness of public health expenditure on pandemic preparedness, to explain the reasons behind country variations in containing crises such as Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The purpose is to analyse the shortcomings in the relationship between global public health expenditure and pandemic preparedness. The research methodology includes a macro-analysis of global health spending patterns, empirical and theoretical literature on global health expenditure, global health security indexes, and country case studies pre- and post-crisis. The results show that gaps in pandemic preparedness were already existent pre-COVID-19, calling for a new mind-set in the way public health expenditure is structured. Healthcare sustainability indicators should transition from traditional measures such as economic growth rates, public health expenditure rates, revenue coming from the healthcare sector, and rankings in the global health security index, to new awareness indicators. Public health expenditure, a facilitator of pandemic preparedness, coupled with the resilience of healthcare systems, could be used in conjunction with the traditional factors, along with the time element of a quick response to pandemic through preparedness schemes, the progress towards achieving sustainable health through the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and investment in national healthcare capital to ensure efficient resource allocation. The policy recommendations are the restructuring of public expenditure to expand the absorptive capacities of healthcare institutes, eventually leading to sustainability and universal health insurance.

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Global Health Security

10.1093/obo/9780199756797-0204 ◽

2021 ◽

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Global Health ◽

Small Sample ◽

World Health ◽

Global Public Health ◽

Global Health Security ◽

Health Security ◽

Health Events ◽

Geographical Regions ◽

International Boundaries

Global (public) health security is defined by the World Health Organization as the activities required, both proactive and reactive, to minimize the danger and impact of acute public health events that endanger people’s health across geographical regions and international boundaries. This definition is normative in that it tells us how global health security ought to be done. It does not explain how “activities” should be enacted, or what should be done to “minimize” the danger and impact of public health events across geographical regions and international boundaries. The literature below is a sample of the rich research that has tried to grapple with the how and what questions of global health security. This entry includes research from a range of disciplines, including public health, political science, law, economics, sociology, anthropology, and philosophy. It is just a small sample but there are thematic continuities across the literature that led to the selection of the sections identified below. A large part of the literature providing General Overviews, in the 1990s and 2000s, examined the evolution of the definition of “global health security” as an extension of, or distinct from, national health security. The marriage of global health and security became the subject of much debate. In particular, what events constitute Securitization, which is the second theme of literature examined below? The evolution of Biosecurity literature emerged at the same time. Securitization literature is quite different from biosecurity literature in that biosecurity literature does not engage, for the most part, with discussions about the protection of peoples (as defined under global health security). This literature has been concerned primarily with the protection of states. The consequence of two health security literatures running at different tracks of inquiry is different approaches, interests, and prioritization of global health security. This has led to the proliferation of Multidisciplinary usage of the term “global health security” from a range of theoretical and methodological perspectives. However, gaps remain practice and research. A consistently neglected area of global health security is Inequalities. Who are the “peoples” in global health security practice and research? Finally, this entry examines the events where global health security is (or is not) “applied” to health threats, which is examined in the Outbreaks section.

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

The Journal of Law Medicine & Ethics ◽

10.1177/1073110519876174 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 47 (3) ◽

pp. 412-426 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

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.

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Catching the flu: Syndromic surveillance, algorithmic governmentality and global health security

Security Dialogue ◽

10.1177/0967010616666443 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 48 (1) ◽

pp. 46-62 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Stephen L Roberts ◽

Stefan Elbe

Keyword(s):

Global Health ◽

Syndromic Surveillance ◽

Security Policy ◽

Emerging Diseases ◽

Outbreak Detection ◽

Significant Shift ◽

Surveillance Systems ◽

Global Public Health ◽

Global Health Security ◽

Health Security

How do algorithms shape the imaginary and practice of security? Does their proliferation point to a shift in the political rationality of security? If so, what is the nature and extent of that shift? This article argues that efforts to strengthen global health security are major drivers in the development and proliferation of new algorithmic security technologies. In response to a seeming epidemic of potentially lethal infectious disease outbreaks – including HIV/AIDS, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), pandemic flu, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), Ebola and Zika – governments and international organizations are now using several next-generation syndromic surveillance systems to rapidly detect new outbreaks globally. This article analyses the origins, design and function of three such internet-based surveillance systems: (1) the Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases, (2) the Global Public Health Intelligence Network and (3) HealthMap. The article shows how each newly introduced system became progressively more reliant upon algorithms to mine an ever-growing volume of indirect data sources for the earliest signs of a possible new outbreak – gradually propelling algorithms into the heart of global outbreak detection. That turn to the algorithm marks a significant shift in the underlying problem, nature and role of knowledge in contemporary security policy.

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Field Epidemiology Training Programs to accelerate public health workforce development and global health security

International Journal of Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1016/j.ijid.2021.08.021 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Rebecca Martin ◽

Ibrahima Soce Fall

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Global Health ◽

Workforce Development ◽

Health Workforce ◽

Training Programs ◽

Public Health Workforce ◽

Global Health Security ◽

Health Security ◽

Field Epidemiology ◽

Health Workforce Development

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Lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic: sustainability is an indispensable condition of Global Health Security

Ambiente & sociedade ◽

10.1590/1809-4422asoc20200108vu2020l3id ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 23 ◽

Author(s):

Deisy de Freitas Lima Ventura ◽

Gabriela Marques di Giulio ◽

Danielle Hanna Rached

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Global Health ◽

Universal Access ◽

Political Agenda ◽

Global Health Security ◽

Health Security ◽

Health Authorities ◽

Multiple Dimensions ◽

Decision Making Processes ◽

The One

Abstract Among the possible developments of the Covid-19 pandemic at the international and national levels is the advancement of the Global Health Security (GHS) agenda. On the one hand, GHS might be able to give priority to health problems on the political agenda-setting, on the other, however, it might open up space for public security actors in decision-making processes to the detriment of the power of health authorities. This article critically analyzes the concept and the progress of the GHS agenda seeking to demonstrate that there can be no security in matters of public health when sustainability in its multiple dimensions is not taken into account. At the end, sustainability has a twofold responsibility: to maintain the consistency and permanence of emergency response actions, especially with investments in public health systems, with universal access, and to minimize the structural causes of pandemics linked to the environment.

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Developing an Innovative Pandemic Treaty to Advance Global Health Security

The Journal of Law Medicine & Ethics ◽

10.1017/jme.2021.72 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 49 (3) ◽

pp. 503-508

Author(s):

Lawrence O. Gostin ◽

Benjamin Mason Meier ◽

Barbara Stocking

Keyword(s):

Global Health ◽

World Health Organization ◽

World Health ◽

Health Law ◽

Global Health Security ◽

Pandemic Preparedness ◽

Health Security ◽

State Obligations ◽

Health Organization

AbstractRecognizing marked limitations of global health law in the COVID-19 pandemic, a rising number of states are supporting the development of a new pandemic treaty. This prospective treaty has the potential to clarify state obligations for pandemic preparedness and response and strengthen World Health Organization authorities to promote global health security. Examining the essential scope and content of a pandemic treaty, this column analyzes the policymaking processes and substantive authorities necessary to meet this historic moment.

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

The Oxford Handbook of the International Law of Global Security ◽

10.1093/law/9780198827276.003.0033 ◽

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.

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Theorizing Feminist Health Security

Feminist Global Health Security ◽

10.1093/oso/9780197556931.003.0002 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 31-52

Author(s):

Clare Wenham

Keyword(s):

Health Policy ◽

Global Health ◽

Feminist Theory ◽

Security Analysis ◽

Security Studies ◽

Global Health Security ◽

Pandemic Preparedness ◽

Health Security

This chapter conceptualises global health security, discussing its genesis and how it has been theorised. First, the chapter establishes that global health security has failed to consider women and the gendered impact of securitised health policy then conversely, explores how feminists have contended with other security debates, through analysing the sub-discipline of feminist security studies (FSS). FSS seeks to understand women within the security terrain but has yet to consider global health as an area of security analysis. The chapter demonstrates why it is so vital to develop a dialogue between feminist theory and global health security for meaningful development in pandemic preparedness and response activities. It also provides a springboard for the following empirical chapters which engage with a range of further feminist concepts to explore the empirical case of Zika and highlight the need to engage with feminist approaches in order to develop a more comprehensive response to health emergencies and ensure truly global health security.

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Rethinking the Infodemic: Global Health Security and Information Disorder

Mezinárodní vztahy ◽

10.32422/mv-cjir.1817 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 56 (4) ◽

pp. 77-90

Author(s):

Dagmar Rychnovská

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Global Health ◽

Health Information ◽

Information Management ◽

Global Scale ◽

Global Politics ◽

Global Health Security ◽

Health Governance ◽

Health Security ◽

Public Health Information

The discourse on the infodemic constructs the combination of the pandemic and disinformation as a new source of insecurity on a global scale. How can we make sense – analytically and politically– of this newly politicized nexus of public health, information management, and global security? This article proposes approaching the phenomenon of the infodemic as an intersecting securitization of information disorder and health governance. Specifically, it argues that there are two distinct frames of security mobilized in the context of infodemic governance: information as a disease and information as a weapon. Drawing on literatures on global health and the emerging research on disinformation, the paper situates the two framings of the infodemic in broader discourses on the medicalization of security, and securitization of information disorder, respectively. The article critically reflects on each framing and offers some preliminary thoughts on how to approach the entanglements of health, security, and information disorder in contemporary global politics.

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