Globalization and Urbanization: The Impact on Emerging Infectious Diseases
By: Luke Chaika | Accounting and Finance Major
The movement of humans often changes in different ways. With the world becoming an even more connected place, the act of trade and travel is only expected to grow. The economic benefits of these two phenomena are astounding; however, these economic benefits are accompanied by the increasing spread of infectious diseases. In the last 30 years, many new infectious diseases have been discovered (Fauci et al 2011). The cause of this discovery is often blamed on a recent development of healthcare technology; however, one might argue that it is better justified by an increase in urbanization and globalization. Urbanization is a social process that takes place through greater concentrations and connectedness of human beings (Wu et al 2017). This astounding social movement has been taking place for several decades creating highly concentrated metropolises in which the social integration has become more compact and complex. A driving force to the increase in urbanization has in fact been globalization. Globalization is the closer integration of the world’s economy (Wu et al 2017). It can often be observed through acts like trade and travel. These social processes have only benefitted each other when it comes to growth in their respective category. However, both of these social processes have made it easier for infectious diseases to spread among populations. The global emergence of infectious diseases in the 21st century is justified by globalization and urbanization. Also, it is important to understand how the spread of awareness creates responses like vaccinations which can minimize the impact a spreading disease might have.
“Globalization is to blame when it comes to the start and transmission of several infectious diseases.”
To begin, the evolution of globalization is now a dependence in human life. In fact, it is a necessary part of the survival and growth of humans. Everyday borders are being crossed by land, air, and sea all across the world. People from different ecosystems and environments are infiltrating very diverse and foreign places. This mixing of different environments is often necessary when it comes to trade. Globalization is to blame when it comes to the start and transmission of several infectious diseases. One of the most prominent examples is seen in the African slave trade and the triangular trading pattern that it had with the Americas, Africa, and Europe. Through this trade system, yellow fever was spread to the Americas and began infecting people uncontrollably. It was considered the largest epidemic of the 16th through 18th centuries (Bryant 2007). Throughout the 1700 and 1800s and continuing into a more modern society, pathogens have been able to spread from environment to environment adapting and creating new niches. Through this process, humans and animals come in contact with infections more frequently (Robertson et al 2014).
Refugees from other countries are responsible for large amounts of globalization. About 3.3 percent of the world’s population or approximately 244 million people no longer live in the country in which they were born (United Nations Population Fund). And in a two year period between 2012–2013 about five million people fled Assyria and became refugees in surrounding countries (Robertson et al 2014). Not only are migrants susceptible to introducing parasitic infections into a population, it is also very likely for them to contract infections from a population. This is seen in cases where six Orthodox Jews contracted Taenia solium which is primarily a pork borne tapeworm, eventhough they have never ingested pork (Robertson et al 2014).
Although many argue that the increase in prevalence of emerging infectious disease is solely explained by an increasing development of medical technology, it is important to understand the development of globalizing technologies that were developed specifically in the 1970s and how they have had a profound effect on the emergence of infectious diseases. These technologies have increased the movement and transmission of infectious diseases. Although these technologies are benefitting the global economy, the effects of an increase in speed across the world creates a vulnerability in the healthcare system (Zhou 2016). Global governments and healthcare systems must become more aware of foreign epidemics and also be ready to get involved in order to contain a new epidemic likely disease that may have infiltrated borders.
Consider the more recent outbreak of SARS disease. SARS is respiratory infection that broke out on a global level in 2003. This disease began in southern China and within two months it had spread into surrounding countries and Canada (Zhou 2016). One of the biggest threats of globalization is the minute amount of time that it takes for someone who is asymptomatic to leave the place where the disease originated and land in a new place that is untouched by the disease. A flight from Beijing to Canada is approximately 13 hours long. In just over half a day, someone who carries the disease will not only infect hundreds who share limited space on the airplane but will also begin to infect those in the airport and city (Zhou 2016). As air travel begins to encourage countries to become closer, the threat of a pandemic spread of infectious diseases only increases.
Next, the second driver to the spread of infectious disease is urbanization. Urbanization is merely the process in which humans live in closer habitation with one another. In 2007, about 3.3 billion people in the world live in an urban setting. It has been predicted that by the year 2050, that number will almost be doubled to 6.3 billion people. Most of the growth that is taking place is in Africa and Asia. Developed areas like North America and Europe are to see an increase that is not as significant. However, these regions are experiencing growth because of several different factors that include migration, infrastructure development, and economical factors some of which include globalization (Alirol et al 2011). Urbanization and globalization are linked together by urbanized cities becoming hubs for trade and travel. The most urbanized cities are the ones that are most susceptible to outbreaks in disease. For example, the city of Mumbai has a population of people 30,000 per sq. kilometer. Because of the limited space that is shared among thousands of humans, it is likely for diseases like SARS, H1N1, and tuberculosis to be spread among the population (Alirol et al 2011). It is not surprising that the greater the density of a city, the greater the risk of outbreak on an epidemic level. There is direct correlation with how fast and how severe an outbreak might be based on population densities.
When it comes to host density, it is easily understood that when the number of hosts live in one area increases, so does the virulence of a parasite and other infectious diseases. The virulence of a parasite is cyclical. When a parasite is more virulent, the host population is more likely to die in earlier stages thus decreasing the virulence of the parasite; however, when virulence is low, the parasite is going to adapt and evolve in a more virulent form (Rogalski et al 2017).
Humans naturally have mechanisms that are acted out so that the impact of an infectious disease is minimized. People often have several response mechanism when it comes to encounters with others that are infected with diseases. Two of the most common responses are the rejection and protection response. Most humans will reject the person who carries the infection and will try to avoid contact with them whether that means wearing a face mask or eliminating face to face time entirely. The protection response is mostly seen in the act of people getting vaccinated when an infection breaks out (Funk et al 2009). People who receive influenza yearly are a prime example of this response. Human nature is what leads to the responses and the responses are done for a very good reason. They often reduce the impact and spread of infectious diseases.
Humans often do not react this way because they themselves have personally encountered the disease but because they have witnessed people suffering from many symptoms. The SARS outbreak in Southern China is an example of how exposure and information about diseases can help limit the spread of infection. Around 126 million people living in the city of Guangzhou were notified of what the symptoms were of SARS. Only 5,327 people were actually diagnosed with SARS disease (Funk et al 2009). A study was done by the National Academy of Science of the United States of America that compared to fairly similar populations. One population was heavily notified and the other was not notified of any infectious disease outbreaks. In the population that was notified and given information about the disease, the information was monitored in order to see what would happen to the quality of the information as timed passed. The findings of this study were two things. First, the quality of the information decreased as time went on and had an impact on the velocity at which the disease was spreading. Second, the population that was notified saw significantly sharper decreases in how fast the disease was spreading as the awareness of the disease increased. This study shows the importance of the spread of awareness when it comes to infectious diseases. Social and political awareness can help contain how fast a disease is spreading and can even somewhat isolate it and prevent it from becoming and epidemic (Funk et al 2009).
In conclusion, globalization has the biggest impact on the emergence of infectious diseases in the 21st century world. The way in which it has connected us globally as humans has created a burden when it comes to the spread of infectious diseases. Globalization has only ramped up the speed of transmission of diseases in part by new technologies that created more efficient means of travel and trade. Urbanization is another cause of the emergence of infectious diseases. With the world’s urban population expected to double in the next 40 years, urban centers are only going to become higher risk when it comes to the spread of disease. With humans sharing such little airspace with one another, it is only a matter of time before an airborne pathogen begins to infect thousands of people within an urban center. Although these two processes seem devastating and unpreventable because of how dependent we have become on them, there are ways in which we can help decrease the speed and distance at which an infectious disease might travel. One of these ways are by creating an awareness of the disease. Using resources such as media, politicians, and other type of systems, it is possible to shorten the lifespan of the disease spread. When people are aware of the symptoms, they begin to take more precautions like getting vaccinated or wearing a mask and limiting physical contact of infected persons. Awareness is such a simple idea but it can have a profound effect when it comes to countering the effects of globalization and urbanization.
Works Cited:
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Luke Chaika, a freshman, from Andover, Minnesota, is majoring in Accounting and Finance. One day he wants to become a Financial Advisor or a Finance Officer. Luke likes to spend time with family, hunt, and watch all types of sports.
