Global health security in the age of Covid-19

Bates, David ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5440-6039 (2025) Global health security in the age of Covid-19. In: Bates, David and Shircore, Richard, (eds.) Covid reflections: a reader. self-published. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

I started writing this short paper whilst the African Union is announcing another epidemic in Sub Saharan Africa, this time Monkeypox or ‘mpox’ as it is becoming known colloquially. South Africa’s President and the African Union’s Champion on Pandemic, Prevention, Preparedness and Response Cyril Rhamaposa, stated in mid-August 2024 that 2 822 cases of mpox have been confirmed with another 14 719 suspected alongside a current mortality of 517. This could be higher as we publish this reader but with strategies unfolding including vaccination programs the epidemic might be arrested. On the other side of the Atlantic a newly elected Trump withdraws the US from WHO and savages US AID, one of its biggest funders, and one of the big powerhouses that can produce health and care products at scale as it did producing penicillin in industrial quantities during World War 2 making a phenomenal contribution to winning that war. The UK PM has just announced more cuts to the overseas age budget in order to channel funding into Defence. What happened to the comprehensive or pan – government approach and Diplomacy, Information, Military/Security and Economic defence lines of operation working in harmony? What effect will all this have on global health and human security as it has been demonstrated that reducing the aid budget only increases the number of economic and conflict related migrants along with global violent extremists that use this reduction in funding as a lever to exploit those who would have benefitted from advocacy, aid or assistance through it?

Item Type:	Book Section
Publisher:	self-published
Departments:	Institute of Health > Psychology and Psychological Therapies
Additional Information:	Colonel David Bates, Disaster, Humanitarian and Crisis Response Program Leader, University of Cumbria, UK.
Depositing User:	Anna Lupton
Date Deposited:	14 Mar 2025 13:32
Last Modified:	15 Mar 2025 08:00
URI:	https://insight.cumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/8707

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