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NTS Bulletin

NTS Bulletin April 2013

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NTS VIEWPOINT

Re-emerging infectious diseases: Time for renewed vigilance

By Mely Caballero-Anthony and Gianna Gayle Amul

Against the trends of increasing global travel, rapid urbanisation and growing population, the threat of infectious diseases looms large on the horizon. In Asia, the series of health crises brought on by SARS in 2003 and bird flu in 2005 remains a constant reminder that infectious diseases bring about grave impacts that extend to the economy and political-security stability.

Tuberculosis (TB), an age-old disease that had been thought to be largely under control, is making a comeback. New strains of coronavirus related to SARS and bird flu are also rearing their heads. These new iterations are often resistant to currently available drug treatments and, importantly, they are also more fatal to humans.

A recent alert from the World Health Organization (WHO) pressed for new vaccines to treat novel coronavirus (NCoV). The WHO also warned that the increasing incidence of drug-resistant TB leaves no room for complacency in the Asia-Pacific, particularly with the region accounting for 60 per cent of TB cases recorded worldwide.

Such warnings have come at almost the same time as reports more than 30 human cases of H7N9 bird flu infection in China. In the Middle East, SARS-related NCoV has proved to be deadly to many. There is also speculation in the media about a possible linkage between the H7N9 bird flu outbreak in China and the thousands of swine and bird carcasses recently found floating on China’s rivers.

While the WHO has yet to issue travel advisories, the virulence of the emergent H7N9 strain and re-emerging coronavirus has already prompted calls of a possible pandemic from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Constant news on infectious diseases and possible global disease spread after the SARS, bird flu and swine flu outbreaks of the past decade had led to the media and the public becoming inured to the urgency of the issue. However, this time around, ‘pandemic fatigue’ must not be allowed to set in.

International institutions and governments must step up funding for the development of new vaccines while cooperation in disease surveillance needs to be enhanced. At the same time as work on pandemic preparedness and response plans are being refined, there is also the need to further strengthen health systems to avert global health crises.

With international travel a modern reality, global hubs in the region such as Singapore and Hong Kong are closely monitoring the situation. In a region that is both a transit and destination point for 230 million travellers annually and home to 30 million migrants, vigilance on the spread of infectious diseases is all the more critical.

Mely Caballero-Anthony is Associate Professor and Head of the Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS). Gianna Gayle Amul is Research Analyst with the RSIS Centre for NTS Studies.

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CLIMATE CHANGE, ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY AND NATURAL DISASTERS

News & Commentaries

Selected Publications

This paper highlights the links between urban poverty, food security and climate change. It notes that low and irregular incomes are the root cause of urban food insecurity; but inadequate housing, basic infrastructure and limited access to services contribute to levels of malnutrition and food insecurity that are often as high as, if not higher than, in rural areas.

This paper asserts that environmental degradation and climate change will increasingly require enterprises and labour markets to adjust their ways of working. Such adjustments would translate to a shift to a sustainable, greener economy, which offers opportunities for social development. The paper draws on a study of 25 countries and situations, and cites examples of social and labour policies that combine social protection, employment creation, and skills development.

This chapter is based on research on the Minato Mirai 21 (MM21) project in Yokohama, a prominent waterfront redevelopment on brownfield sites. The findings give an indication of the extent to which the MM21 project has been able to achieve climate-friendly urban development. The article also highlights the strengths and weaknesses of using indicators to assess urban regeneration efforts.

Events & Announcements

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ENERGY AND HUMAN SECURITY

News & Commentaries

Selected Publications

This report focuses on the energy future of the five ASEAN countries that account for the majority of the region’s energy consumption, namely, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. Renewable energy is seen as key to the ability of these countries to achieve energy independence. The report identifies some crucial elements for ensuring energy security, including improving energy efficiency, building a good environment for energy trade, expertise sharing, and strengthening cooperation in the Asia-Pacific.

In Southeast Asia, interest in civil nuclear energy cooled down in the immediate aftermath of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis. However, the region has since seen a revival of interest in developing nuclear energy facilities. The paper identifies the factors behind the renewed pursuit of nuclear energy, and the implications for Singapore.

This article focuses on the high use of energy in commercial buildings in China’s cities. It asserts that the technical solutions employed to improve the thermal performance of the buildings would have less impact than reducing functional energy use within the buildings. Such reductions may be achieved either by the deployment of more efficient appliances or through effective energy management.

Events & Announcements

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FOOD SECURITY

News & Commentaries

Selected Publications

The report provides an overview of global food policy developments in 2012, highlighting the lack of actual implementation of the numerous commitments to food security. It also points out the potentially damaging effects of the trade-distorting support and protection measures put in place by the US and European Union (EU) in 2012; and discusses food policy developments in Africa, the Arab world, South Asia, East Asia and Latin America.

The article discusses the effects of food inflation across the different types of poor households in the Philippines. Specifically, it compares the degree of vulnerability of those living in rural and urban areas, and in agricultural and non-agricultural households. The study finds that agricultural households are generally more resilient to food inflation. It concludes, however, that the poorest of the poor remain the most vulnerable to inflation, regardless of whether they are in an agricultural household or otherwise.

Events & Announcements

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HEALTH SECURITY

News & Commentaries

Selected Publications

This article argues that tuberculosis (TB) control programmes should incorporate an integrated response to avoid overlooking the comorbidity of TB with non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, malnutrition, smoking- and alcohol-related diseases, and infectious diseases. It highlights the synergies and advantages of integrated healthcare and identifies priorities for the integration of interventions for communicable and non-communicable diseases.

This article highlights the long-term complacency on and political neglect of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB). It argues for a scaling-up of rapid and accurate diagnosis of drug-resistant TB to avoid the health system failure that the disease can set off if its threat to public health remains unacknowledged. The authors emphasise the need for political leadership to sustain the funding of global and national TB strategies.

This brief notes that hypertension kills 9.4 million worldwide per year and is more prevalent in low- and middle-income countries with weak health systems. It emphasises the role of public stakeholders in decreasing the burden of cardiovascular disease and improving non-communicable disease surveillance.

Events & Announcements

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INTERNAL AND CROSS-BORDER CONFLICT

News & Commentaries

Selected Publications

This article looks at a new training programme for UN peacekeepers. The programme incorporates training on non-violent solutions to potentially violent situations, such as interpersonal skills and negotiation strategies, and theoretical knowledge of conflict resolution.

Human Rights Watch’s annual review of human rights practices around the globe summarises key human rights issues in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide, drawing on events from the end of 2011 through to November 2012. The book is divided into three main parts: an essay section, photo essays and country-specific chapters.

Events & Announcements

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TRANSNATIONAL CRIME

News & Commentaries

Selected Publications

Global losses due to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing or ‘pirate fishing’ are estimated to be USD10–23.5 billion per year. West African waters are estimated to have the highest levels of IUU fishing in the world – up to 37 per cent of the region’s catch. This report exposes the continued role of European Union (EU) and East Asian countries in facilitating a market for seafood illegally caught in West Africa. It highlights how local fishing communities are fighting back to combat this illegal trade.

States and the international community have been stepping up efforts to deal with illegal trading in wildlife, through introducing law enforcement and regulatory initiatives. This paper considers the networks involved in the illegal trade in rhinoceros horn that is currently posing an existential threat to most rhino species. It examines possible sources of these networks’ resilience, both internal and external, and the implications for how the trade could be tackled.

This report explains how modern slavery in the UK manifests itself and the various forms it takes. Its main contention is that modern slavery is not primarily an issue of immigration as UK nationals are also forced into modern slavery without crossing any international border. It therefore recommends, among other things, the passing of a single Modern Slavery Act that will provide greater clarity for law enforcement agencies in areas such as prosecuting trafficking for non-sexual exploitation.

Events & Announcements

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WATER SECURITY

News & Commentaries

Selected Publications

This study observes that freshwater storage in parts of the Tigris and Euphrates river basins and western Iran from January 2003 to December 2009 showed an alarming rate of decrease. This raises important issues regarding water use in transboundary river basins and aquifers, including the necessity of international water-use treaties and the importance of resolving discrepancies in international water law, while amplifying the need for increased monitoring of core components of the water budget.

This book describes the journey of Singapore’s development and the fundamental role that water has had in shaping it. The authors analyse plans and policies; institutions, laws and regulations; water demand and supply strategies; water quality and conservation considerations; partnerships; and importance of the media. The book argues that the case of Singapore illustrates how a society can address development without losing its focus on the environment.

This volume discusses various types of public and private water governance architectures as well as identifies the trends, challenges, opportunities, and shifts in perceptions with regard to the provision of water supply services. A key argument is that while private sector participation has been promoted by multilateral institutions as part of institutional and financial reforms, it is governments that bear the major responsibility for the provision of water supply services, either as service provider, or regulator or policymaker.

Events & Announcements

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Terms of Use:

You are free to publish this material in its entirety or only in part in your newspapers, wire services, internet-based information networks and newsletters and you may use the information in your radio-TV discussions or as a basis for discussion in different fora, provided full credit is given to the author(s) and the Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS). Kindly inform the publisher (NTS_Centre@ntu.edu.sg) and provide details of when and where the publication was used.

About the Centre:

The Centre for NTS Studies, based in the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), was inaugurated by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretary-General Dr Surin Pitsuwan in May 2008. The Centre maintains research in the fields of Climate Change, Food Security, Energy Security, Health Security, as well as Internal and Cross Border Conflict. It produces policy-relevant analyses aimed at furthering awareness and building capacity to address NTS issues and challenges in the Asia Pacific region and beyond. The Centre also provides a platform for scholars and policymakers within and outside Asia to discuss and analyse NTS issues in the region.

The Centre is the Coordinator of the ASEAN-Canada Research Partnership (2012–2015) supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada. It also serves as the Secretariat of the initiative.

In 2009, the Centre was chosen by the MacArthur Foundation as a lead institution for its three-year Asia Security Initiative (2009–2012), to develop policy research capacity and recommend policies on the critical security challenges facing the Asia-Pacific. It is also a founding member and the Secretariat for the Consortium of Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies in Asia (NTS-Asia).

More information on the Centre can be found at www.rsis.edu.sg/nts.


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