globalization draft 2

Globalization is characterized by the increasing cross-border flows of goods, services, capital, people, and information, which have direct or indirect impacts on health (Milstien, Kaddar & Kieny, 2006). More specifically, it enhances the potential transmission of communicable and non-communicable diseases and the inequality in accessing available health care services.

In today’s increasingly interconnected world, infectious diseases have a higher chance to affect wider areas at a faster rate, increasing the risk of global pandemics. Unlike in the past, the spreading was rather localized, confined to a particular region. Under the influence of globalization, however, migrating and travelling for business or pleasure purposes are becoming more common, contributing to the increasing mobility of human activities. Pathogens are more likely to be carried around. The possibilities of disease transmission are thus increased substantially. Furthermore, the convenient means of transportation facilitate the more rapid spreading. For example, the 2009 swine influenza was spread to 30 countries within 6 weeks and to more than 190 countries and territories within months (the National Academies, n.d.). The outbreak of infectious diseases is no longer a threat to just a specific region or country. Instead, it has the potential to be more likely to exert its impact globally.

In addition, non-communicable diseases are having negative impacts on the health conditions of a larger population. Unlike infectious diseases which are transmitted by infectious agents, non-communicable diseases are widely spread via the spreading of unhealthy lifestyles that cause them, such as unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, smoking, alcohol misuse and the use of illicit drugs (Huynen, Martens, & Hilderink, 2005). These unhealthy factors are dispersed globally via advertising, product marketing and social interactions and the effect is enhanced by globalization. For example, obesity, which used to be a public health problem mainly in western countries, has gradually become a global concern over the past two decades, as the factors causing it are spreading internationally due to globalization. It is shown that if recent trends continue unabated, nearly 60 percent of the world’s population which consists of 3.3 billion people could be overweight or obese by 2030 (Kelly, Yang, Chen, Reynolds & He, 2008). China is increasingly overwhelmed by the unhealthy diet from the west. McDonald’s, for example, had 1,000 outlets in the country by 2006, and, according to news reports, the number is expected to double by the end of 2013. Not just fast food restaurant, soft drink manufacturing company Coca Cola expects China to become its largest market by 2020. As a result, as unhealthy behaviours are increasingly invading the world, a larger scale of the population could be threatened.

Besides disease transmissions, the disparity in accessing health care services quantitatively and qualitatively is also widening between developed and developing countries. Developed countries have benefitted from globalization to a greater extent compared to developing countries as they are the main players. More profit has been harvested and thus accordingly, more budgets could be diverted into the development of health care sector.  For example, health care facilities could be upgraded and more effort could be put into the research studies to develop better treatments and new pharmaceutical products and vaccines. Hence, higher-quality health care services could be made available to the residents. In contrast, for developing countries, certain diseases have already been more prevalent due to poor living conditions. Globalization causes more diseases which used to be more common in the developed world to be spread among developing countries, adding burdens to the already-weak health care sector. Inadequacy of funding, medical resources and research studies further contribute to the lower competency in combating the threats to public health. 

As it is not possible to terminate globalization, the practical way is to minimize the negative consequences mentioned above as far as possible.

Firstly, collective effort could be established among different countries should there be an outbreak of infectious disease. In this way, unaffected countries could be warned of potential invasion of the disease so that they can be prepared by formulating applicable strategies beforehand. Thus, the impact of the disease may be more confined. Secondly, local governments should increase the awareness of healthy lifestyles to reduce the chance of occurrence some chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension despite the spreading of unhealthy habits. For example, although the number of outlets of fast food restaurants and shops selling soft drinks is increasing, the frequency of consumption should be kept as low as possible. Although it is a common scene to see people drinking in the Hollywood movies, alcohol consumption should also be minimized, possibly by increasing the price. Lastly, developing countries should do their parts to improve their economies so as to increase the health care standards. Although organizations such as Red Cross and World Health Organization (WHO) have been negotiating with developed countries for monetary, material, and technical support for the developing countries, it is not a long-term solution. Boosting their economies by fully utilizing their strengths is more crucial. In this way, the general living conditions could be improved so as to retain well-educated and experienced health care professionals. Furthermore, more funding could be distributed to develop the health care sector. The gap in accessing health care services between developing countries and developed countries could be reduced.  

In conclusion, although globalization enhances the transmission of diseases and widens the gap of the accessibility of health care services, these negative consequences could be ameliorated by collaborating with other countries, promoting healthy habits and improving the economies of the developing countries.  

Reference:

1.     Huynen, M. M., Martens, P., & Hilderink, H. B. (2005). The health impacts of globalization: a conceptual framework. Global Health. 2005 Aug 3;1:14. doi:10.1186/1744-8603-1-14

2.    Kelly, T., Yang, W., Chen, C.S., Reynolds, K., He, J.. Global burden of obesity in 2005 and projections to 2030. Int J Obes (Lond). 2008 Sep;32(9):1431-7. doi: 10.1038/ijo.2008.102

3.    Milstien, J. B., Kaddar, M., & Kieny, M. P. (2006). The impact of globalization on vaccine development and availability. Health Aff July 2006 vol. 25 no. 4 1061-1069. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.25.4.1061

4.    The National Academies. Infectious disease global challenges. Retrieved from http://needtoknow.nas.edu/id/challenges/globalization/