Disease And Globalization

Overall, there is little doubt that globalization has been very beneficial to society. Globalization has contributed to many technological advances being made, markets becoming more efficient, and has allowed countries/regions to specialize in areas where they possess a comparative advantage. However, when it comes to the spread of disease it is quite evident that globalization has had a negative impact. Historically and presently, globalization has been a strong catalyst for the spreading of disease.

Over the course of humankind, a time period that spreads thousands of years, as the world has become increasingly global, every transmittable disease has followed in the footsteps. Trade routes carried smallpox, caravan routes spread the measles, equestrians transmitted the bubonic plague, and a single flight attendant was possibly responsible for the spread of HIV to the western world. These are just a few isolated examples.

It is typically implied that less developed nations contribute to the spread of disease more than developed nations. However, this is untrue. Europeans brought many diseases to the Americas, which was a huge factor in reducing the Indian population by roughly 95 percent. Undeveloped nations typically are infected more severely due to the inability to treat and eliminate the threat.

However, while the spread of disease has had a dead on correlation with globalization, the ability to combat the diseases has also improved. Medical supplies, methods, and advances are able to reach even the most remote parts of the world. To date, these benefits have not been able to effectively combat the proliferation of disease throughout the world. However, as time goes by and each region becomes increasingly more technologically advanced, while the spread of diseases will increase, so will the care and treatment.