208457 Infectious Diseases and Global Health Preparedness: Creating a Framework to Assess Capacity, Mobilization of Resources, and Government Accountability

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Dhrubajyoti Bhattacharya, JD, MPH, LLM , Department of Medical Humanities, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL
Katherine Thompson, BA , Department of Medical Humanities, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL
Background

In Zimbabwe, since November 2008, cholera has resulted in over 78,882 cases and claimed 3,712 lives. In Spring 2007, Andrew Speaker contracted XDR-TB and managed to leave the U.S., travel through Europe, and reenter the U.S. without detection. Both examples illustrate the complexity of parsing capacity, resources, and accountability to respond to contemporary threats. This project assessed the global health legal and policy framework to move beyond a “national security model” and create a “prevention paradigm” that enhances collaboration and cooperation.

Methodology

We reviewed infectious disease cases from the U.S., Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa against a backdrop of international, and national, laws and policies, to inform (1) the different levels of capacity relating to threats posed by different diseases, (2) the mobilization of resources, and (3) government accountability.

Results

Global health laws and policies are ineffective in mitigating the threat posed by existing infectious diseases. They neither recognize the nature of different diseases nor provide any model for collaboration or accountability.

Recommendations

(1) Characterize public health ‘crises' based on innate disease properties, (i.e. transmission, infectivity) and effectiveness of interventions employed to curb disease spread, and (2) Empower an international body vis-à-vis multilateral treaties to assess unmet needs, coordinate resources, conduct investigations, and adjudicate claims.

Lessons Learned

By the end of the session, participants will be able to: (1) recognize how controlling infectious diseases requires a prevention paradigm, and (2) identify the requisite capacity, resources, and accountability based on the type of disease and threat posed.

Learning Objectives:
(1) Recognize how controlling infectious diseases requires a prevention paradigm, and (2) Identify the requisite capacity, resources, and accountability based on the type of disease and threat posed.

Keywords: Law, Infectious Diseases

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: As a professor, my primary area of research is in areas of international law, and global health. I have published on issues relating to global public health preparedness, and given presentations on issues relating to law and policy related to infectious disease control at the national, state, and local levels. On issues relating to adjudicating claims in real-time before international tribunals in response to potential human rights violations of affected populations, I have been invited to present my research at forthcoming conferences, including the Global Health Education Consortium at the University of Washington (April 2009), the annual conference of the American Society of International Law (March 2009), and the global health conference at Yale University (April 2009).
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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