Global health security: a flawed SDG framework

Academia Letters, 2022

Health and security: two conflicting concepts The importance and acceptance of health security has increased considerably in recent decades and especially since the outbreak of the CoV-SARS-2 pandemic in 2020. The quest for security is perfectly understandable in an increasingly inequitable, unstable and disjointed world. Who wouldn't be in favour of more security in times of growing uncertainty? But a closer look shows that things are more complicated than that. It remains unclear what is meant by security, who defines security and how security is to be created. Policymakers in high-income countries tend to emphasise protection of their populations particularly against external threats, for example bioterrorism and pandemics, whereas many-but not all-public and global health experts and stakeholders understand the term in a broader context of population health and its social, economic, political and environmental determination (Quinn & Kumar 2014). Despite the abundance of available literature on human and health security, and particularly on public and global health security, a universal definition is still lacking. The fact that the use of the term "health security" by different stakeholders is as widespread as inconsistent is by no means attributable to the missing conceptual clarification but primarily to the widely divergent perceptions, priorities and agendas that exist in the broad field of global health (Holst 2020). Over the past two decades, the link between health and security has become a mainstream approach in public and global health strategies and policies and led to global health security being considered virtually and almost interchangeably synonymous with global health (Wenham 2019). Global health security can be committed to the universal human right to health and ensure by means of global compensation and equalisation that human-made inequalities in access to

Global Health Governance, 2019

This paper traces the uneven and recent history of 'global health security' (GHS) as a conceptual space that emerged in the 1990s, and questions how it is undergoing transformation today. It argues that GHS has shifted-from at one time exclusively referring to revisions occurring to international public health norms (the International Health Regulations), to now marking a complex arena where multiple actors debate and reconsider what counts as both 'preparedness' and measurable health systems strengthening 'action'. This shift is explored here in three ways: (1) by focusing on early landmarks of conceptual change occurring in the idea of 'global health security' across the 2000s; (2) by evincing these changes through a case-study on the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA); and (3) by highlighting some of the effects that this change introduces in thinking about-and acting on behalf of-GHS. These changes that have taken place over the last decade have far-reaching effects on both global health policy and project development.

BMC Public Health, 2019

Background: Since the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola epidemic, the concept of measuring health security capacity has become increasingly important within the broader context of health systems-strengthening, enhancing responses to public health emergencies, and reducing global catastrophic biological risks. Efforts to regularly and sustainably track the evolution of health security capabilities and capacities over timewhile also accounting for political, social, and environmental riskscould help countries progress toward eliminating sources of health insecurity. We sought to aggregate evidence-based principles that capture a country's baseline public health and healthcare capabilities, its health security system performance before and during infectious disease crises, and its broader social, political, security, and ecological risk environments. Methods: We conducted a scoping review of English-language scholarly and gray literature to identify evidenceand practice-based indicators and proxies for measuring health security at the country level over time. We then used a qualitative coding framework to identify recurrent themes in the literature and synthesize foundational principles for measuring global health security. Documents reviewed included English-language literature published after 2001 until the end of the research period-September 2017-to ensure relevance to the current global health security landscape; literature examining acute infectious disease threats with potential for transnational spread; and literature addressing global health security efforts at the country level. Results: We synthesized four foundational principles for measuring global health security: measurement requires assessment of existing capacities, as well as efforts to build core public health, healthcare, and biosecurity capabilities; assessments of national programs and efforts to mitigate a critical subset of priority threats could inform efforts to generate useful metrics for global health security; there are measurable enabling factors facilitating health securitystrengthening efforts; and finally, measurement requires consideration of social, political, and ecological risk environments. Conclusion: The themes identified in this review could inform efforts to systematically assess the impacts and effectiveness of activities undertaken to strengthen global health security.

Health Security Agenda (GHSA) represent bold initiatives to address systematically gaps in previous efforts to assure that societies can be resilient when confronted with potentially overwhelming threats to health. Despite their obvious differences, and differing criticisms of both, they shift away from vertical (problem-or disease-specific) to horizontal (comprehensive) solutions. Despite the comprehensiveness of the SDGs, they lack a specific target for global health security. The GHSA focuses primarily on infectious diseases and neglects non-communicable diseases and socioeconomic drivers of health. Even though each agenda has limitations and unique challenges, they are complementary. We discuss ways to understand and implement the two agendas synergistically to hasten progress toward a more sustainable and resilient world.

Lancet, 2014

Health Security, 2020

Emerging Infectious Diseases, 2017

I n today's interconnected world, an infectious disease outbreak that is not rapidly detected and controlled at its source can become a costly global health threat, both in lives lost and economic turmoil (1,2). Every year, thousands of outbreaks occur worldwide, many of which involve pathogens with pandemic potential. Since 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared public health emergencies of international concern for outbreaks

Commentary for Dr. Carlo Caduff's The Pandemic Perhaps, an ethnographic manuscript (Univ. California Press, 2015). Explores the contemporary policy dialogues within the US-led Global Health Security Agenda. Published on Somatosphere.net, April 2016: http://somatosphere.net/?p=11454

Academia Biology, 2023

Faba bean, Vicia faba, is one of the main popular legume crops in the world. Their seeds are rich sources of proteins, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins for human food and animal consumption. For these reasons, improving and increasing the cultivated area of faba beans are essentially needed to achieve self-sufficiency. Therefore, this study is focused on the diversity of harmful and beneficial insects on this crop in Assiut Governorate, Upper Egypt. The Survey of harmful and beneficial insects on faba bean crop registered 44 insect species (21 pests, 4 parasitoids, 11 predators, and 8 pollinators and visitors) belonging to 9 orders and 27 families. The most common pest species were green leafhopper, Empoasca decipiens (42.28%), followed by bean fly, Ophiomyia phaseoli (17.16%); American serpentine leaf miner, Liriomyza trifolii (16.45%); sugar beet fly, Pegomya mixta (9.20%); campyloma bug, Campylomma sp. (7.61%); and bean seed fly, Delia sp. (3.17%). Besides, four native parasitoid species were recorded (Chelonus sp., Opius nitidulator, Dirhinus excavatus, and Trichogramma sp.). The most abundant and predominant predators’ species during the season were the eleven-spotted ladybird beetles, Coccinella undecimpunctata (44.27%) and Scymnusnubilus (35.5%). While, minute pirate bug, Orius insidiosus (6.51%) and common green lacewing, Chrysoperla carnea (5.52%) were found in a moderate dominant. Moreover, honeybees, Apis mellifera were the main pollinators of this vital crop that was observed in high numbers through the growing season. Ultimately, this study will be essential for developing and improving the control technique of common insects in faba bean fields.