The Presence And Outbreak Of An Infectious Disease

Philip Jason Callimanis Professor Henshaw POLS 170 12/17/15 The presence and outbreak of an infectious disease can have global consequences. Such consequences include the deaths of many people due to an inability to contain the disease. When an infectious disease spreads to, and affects, different populations, this is known as a pandemic. One pandemic that has had far reaching consequences is that of HIV (human immunodeficiency)/AIDS (acquired immune deficiency symptoms), which officially began in 1981 and since has taken the lives of over 39 million people worldwide (PBS). The HIV virus attacks one’s â€Å"T-cells,† which are vital to one’s immune system. Someone infected with the virus becomes increasingly susceptible to contracting†¦show more content†¦An example of the realist approach to dealing with the HIV/AIDS pandemic is the United States’s efforts to distribute AIDS medications. While an organization called â€Å"The Global Fund† already existed to help combat AIDS, tuberculosis, and mala ria, the United States established its own organization called PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) to provide antiretrovirals to those infected (Henshaw 11/18). By creating its own program, over which it would exercise administrative control, the U.S. demonstrated self-interest, whereas the Global Fund allows entry to a wide a variety of countries. The Global Fund is actually an example of liberal ideology. The central idea behind liberal ideology in relation to the HIV/AIDS pandemic is the notion of mutual gain, whereby states, through working together, can expedite the process of containing or curing the infectious disease. To further the notion of mutual gain, states view working together as beneficial because pandemics affect global security and the global economy. During pandemics, there is increased tension globally due to fear, and a negative effect on the global economy due to the cost of treating those who are infected, along with the cost of research ing and developing drugs to help combat the disease (Nau 447). Liberalism