ABSTRACT
Most parts of the Global South are still confronted with traditional risks, i.e., the risk of infectious diseases, while simultaneously facing the rising risk of noncommunicable diseases. Infectious epidemics constitute a significant threat to global health security because of their potential to escalate across boundaries. A movement to and from endemic regions is one of the major concerns because of the ease with which infectious diseases transmit. This chapter examines global health emergencies using the Zika and Ebola virus diseases as examples. Both zoonoses constitute a significant threat to global health security. The development tragedies occasioned by exploitative global relations reflect in the prevalence of infectious diseases. The declaration of global health “emergencies” shows the narrow conception (through securitization) of global health. This chapter also examines the factors responsible for the emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases in the Global South.
