Summary

• Globalization of infectious disease transmission has led to international and regional initiatives to improve surveillance and response. The World Health Organization’s revised International Health Regulations provide a more robust legal framework for outbreak investigations. New regional networks are strengthening collaborative approaches to prevention of pandemics even in parts of the world where political tensions usually run high.
• To fulfill the promise of these new mechanisms, the United States should integrate capacity development for disease surveillance into its global health strategy, including providing greater investment in laboratories, training and technical assistance for low-income countries.
• Effective international cooperation has not extended to creating a system for equitable distribution of vaccines, resulting in vast disparities in availability of vaccines between richer and poorer countries. As a result, political tensions between wealthy and low-income countries have increased. Unless inequity is addressed, global health security will not advance.

About the Brief

Cooperation on regional and global infectious disease response is increasing as a result of strengthened International Health Regulations and regional arrangements, even in areas of significant political tensions. At the same time, the enhanced regime has highlighted the failure of global health policy to address inequities in availability of vaccines, which in turn may undermine both international collaboration and global health security. Leonard S. Rubenstein, the author, is coordinator of USIP’s Peacebuilding and Health Working Group.