Infectious disease and national security

Traditionally Australia’s national security has been defined in terms of international relations, the defence of national integrity and the protection of citizens and states from external threats. Rarely has infectious disease, particularly epidemics and pandemics played an important part in our national security.  Largely, our government has regarded epidemics and pandemics as a passing human security issue. Despite more than 200 years of exposure to infectious disease outbreaks such things have played little or no part in the framework of our national security.

There seems little doubt that one of the major challenges to national and international security is infectious disease. We need to fully understand that the health of people in Australia is a critical resource and vital to the stability and growth of our nation. Our world and Australia remain faced by a three-fold threat.

Firstly, the persistence of a wide range of infectious diseases throughout the world. Secondly, the threat of emerging and re-remerging infections invading Australia via the medium of travel and trade. Finally, we should not overlook the possibility of a bioterrorist attack.

Hardly a day goes by without “new” or re-emerging infections dominating our media headlines. Many are zoonotic or animal infections permanently nurtured in wildlife around the world. The recent COVID-19 outbreaks and Monkeypox and the continual persistence of a wide range of infectious diseases such as SARS, Avian Flu, Ebola, Dengue and Bubonic Plague demand a new awareness of how infectious diseases can pose a threat to our security.

The emergence of such diseases has certainly heightened our concern about personal security and a growing frustration with our governments, state and national, for their failed attempts to protect us. And despite such attempts by our government, infectious disease and our security has a long way to go.

There is little doubt that infectious disease helped shape Australia over the last 200 years and remains a critical concern for most people whether it be a wide range of children’s infections such as Measles, Chickenpox, and Bronchitis or pandemic outbreaks threatening everyone such as AIDS, COVID-19, Monkeypox, or long- established diseases such as Malaria, Dengue and Bubonic Plague.

The persistence of infectious disease is a critical public health issue in many parts of our world including Australia. In Africa, for example, infectious diseases remain entrenched in indigenous wild- life and the highly mobile world we now live in with more than three billion people crossing international borders every year, adds to our risk.  There is little doubt that migration plays a critical and important role in establishing and spreading a wide range of infectious diseases.

One of the major challenges to Australia’s and world security, is infectious disease. We need to fully understand that the health of Australians is a critical resource vital to stability and the growth of our nation. We also need to understand the full impact of migration as a possible security threat. Every day, millions of people in search of jobs, education or holidays move across international borders. There is little doubt that migration can impact on our social security. But is migration a real threat to Australian Security?

There is little doubt that migration has an important impact on our national security and can threaten our economic and health security. With the resurgence of infectious disease that has hit us over the last 25 years and the likelihood of more pandemics, there seems little doubt that infectious disease can no longer be seen as the sole preserve of the physician or public health specialist. Epidemics and pandemics involve every aspect of our lives and infectious diseases need to be near the top of our national security agenda.

There is little doubt that traditional notions of Australia’s security are simply no longer relevant in today’s environment. If national security is defined as the protection of our population, our territory, and our way of life, then the threats that infectious disease levels at our population should be a critical part of our national security.