ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the severity of the global infectious diseases (ids) problem. It compares different definitions of security—human and national or international—by which to measure whether and to what extent epidemic disease threatens security. The chapter also examines the relationship between ids and national security, defined as protection of the state from physical threats. It explores the implications of the argument and focuses on the issue of why it matters whether they view acquired immune deficiency syndrome and other ids as security threats or primarily as health and development challenges. Catastrophic id may contribute to the outbreak of military conflict within or between states, although it is relatively unlikely to be a war-starter on its own. Public health advocates and students of ids often champion increased mobilization against diseases that threaten security in the broad sense of human well-being. Biological warfare has been described as "public health in reverse" because of its potential to disperse deadly infectious agents.
