ABSTRACT
Appearing at regular intervals, three to four times a century, globe-spanning pandemics have long existed as a threat to humanity. However, the rapid expansion of globalization has greatly enhanced that threat. Often described as “artificial disease force-multipliers,” attributes of globalization – such as expanded global trade and tourism; the movement of goods, services and people across the planet in ever increasing numbers; and rapid urbanization – have exacerbated human vulnerability to pandemics. 1 It has become widely accepted in the public health community that a novel or re-emergent virus which is highly virulent and easily transmissible among humans is inevitable and long overdue. 2 Recognizing this threat, the World Economic Forum in its 2006 Global Risks Report ranked pandemics and natural disasters among the gravest risks confronting the international community. 3
