Our epidemiological footprint: the circulation of avian flu, SARS, and HIV/AIDS in the world economy

There is growing international concern about the circulation of pathological viruses in the world economy. Reviewing recent scholarship on avian flu, SARS, and HIV/AIDS, this article argues that the contemporary world economy is generating not just an ecological footprint, but also an important epid...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Review of International Political Economy
Main Author: Elbe, Stefan
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: Routledge 2008
Subjects:
Online Access:http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/12596/
https://doi.org/10.1080/09692290701751324
Description
Summary:There is growing international concern about the circulation of pathological viruses in the world economy. Reviewing recent scholarship on avian flu, SARS, and HIV/AIDS, this article argues that the contemporary world economy is generating not just an ecological footprint, but also an important epidemiological one. Illustrating the complex interdependencies that exist between economic and microbial systems of circulation, the article highlights the difficult challenges that states confront in trying to shield populations against these viruses within the current international order. Finally, the article also considers recent attempts to scale up international responses to these viruses, including their progressive securitization and the coming into force of a new set of international health regulations - opening up a new chapter in the bio-history of humanity.