Global Public Health Threats: The Role of Vaccinations.

Abstract

Globalization has connected people culturally, economically and socially in a highly mobile, interdependent world. The result: Infectious diseases spread geographically much faster than at any time in history. The World Health Organization has identified more than 1,100 epidemics worldwide in a five-year span.1 The International Air Transport Association estimates 3.7 billion passengers will travel in 2016, a rate expected to double over the next 20 years.2 The constantly increasing number of international travelers plus the continual presence of infectious diseases means an outbreak or epidemic anywhere could become an imminent threat across the world.