GSPH 418      2 Credit Hours

Global Health Security

This information is for second semester 2017/2018 academic year

Teacher responsible

Dr.  Bismark Sarfo

Availability

This course is available open to all visiting students but only as a second semester course.

Course Content

The World Health Organization defines global health security as “ the activities required, both proactive and reactive, to minimize vulnerability to acute public health events that endanger the collective health of populations living across geographical regions and international boundaries”. The recent outbreak of ebola viral disease in West Africa with subsequent reported cases of the disease on various continents underscores how diseases can rapidly spread across international boundaries. This course will provide students with the knowledge and understanding of global health security, and also how the lack of adequate security against agents of global health affects economic, trade, tourism and even political stability. The concerted efforts by international health institutions such as CDC and WHO among others, in combating pandemic diseases will be discussed. The various categories and examples of agents of global health threats, and those that can potentially be used by terrorists will also be discussed.

Teaching

8:30am-10:30am, Computer Lab. SPH

PowerPoint Delivery

Formative Coursework

The course is made up of Assignments, Interim Assessment and Final Examination.

Indicative reading

1.         World Health Report (2003): Shaping the future. Geneva: World Health Organisation, 2003

2.         The World Health Report (2007): A Safer Future: Global Health Security in the 21st century.

3.         Guerrant RL (1998): Why America must care about tropical medicine: threats to global health and security from tropical infectious diseases. American .Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 59:3-16

4.         Kindhauser M.K (2003): Global defence against infectious disease threat. In World Health Organisation 2003.

5.         Knobler S, Mahmoud A, Lemon S, Pray L, (2006). The impact of globalization on infectious disease emergence and control: exploring the consequences and opportunities. Workshop summary – Forum on Microbial Threats. Washington, DC, The National Academies Press

6.         International Health Regulations (2005). Geneva, World Health Organization, 2006 (http://www.who.int/csr/ihr/en/, accessed 18 April 2007).

7.         Peter Briss (2011): Fighting fake drugs: the role of WHO and pharma. Lancet 377:633

8.         Brian D. Finlay (2011): Counterfeit drugs and national security. www.stimson.org

Assessment and Grading

Grading Scale: