According to the World Health Organization, ‘health’ is: “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being”. Global health focuses on health for all, irrespective of national and territorial boundaries. This goes beyond national interests and includes collaborative efforts involving multidisciplinary research and action. The underlying environmental, economic, social and political inequalities play a vital role in the provision of, and access to, global health.

Pandemics involve large-scale outbreaks of disease affecting multiple countries and regions and impacting negatively on global health and well-being. These pandemics include both slow and rapidly moving communicable diseases. All are disruptive to health and economic, social and political life, which the onset of COVID-19 brought into sharp focus. Pandemics have occurred throughout human history, with the loss of millions of lives. Just over a century ago, the ‘Spanish Flu’ spread globally in three waves from 1918 to 1920, resulting in more than 50million deaths. A number of influenza pandemics have followed, albeit with fewer fatalities. Novel diseases including HIV/AIDS, SARS, MERS, Ebola and Zika have been widespread but effectively contained in early phases, whereas COVID-19 remains uncontained. These novel diseases emerge through a combination of environmental and human factors.

Pandemic mitigation processes include preparedness, immediate responses, sustained response and resolution. The long duration of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the inconsistent response to the COVID-19 pandemic provide sobering examples of the threat of novel diseases to humanity. This course provides an overview of global health policy and the causes of, and responses to, pandemics.  It provides a foundational framework for those in public health, and global health policy and development.

• Define and clarify global health equity in relation to pandemics
• Explain the key aspects of HIV and COVID-19 pandemics and lessons learned from the global policy response
• Clarify the key elements shaping the dimensions of pandemics and global health
• Interpret key pandemic data and statistics
• Utilize the framework for analyzing and responding to pandemics and global health in their careers