Lesson 3b

The Black Death. The Spanish Flu. SARS. All three of these names may bring back awful memories, or strike fear into the hearts of people around the world. They are pandemics, epidemics that spread to the far reaches of the globe and back again. The Black Death killed about 75 million; the Spanish flu, about 100 million. SARS is the most recent epidemic, with the first case in 2002, and causing 774 deaths - fairly minor compared to the other two mentioned pandemics.


One of the reasons for SARS not getting majorly out of control, but the World Health Organization and other national health agencies that are developed specifically to deal with health issues like these took the actions necessary to protect the world's citizens. In a way, these organizations themselves are a response to globalization; without our ability to travel faster and further than ever before, pandemics would probably have a much harder time spreading.


But how can, or should, I respond to some of these aspects of expanding globalization? I think I can protect myself against diseases in other countries by following proper protection strategies if I travel to countries that have issues with certain diseases. Organizations such as the WHO protect citizens such as myself from issues like these everyday, and therefore, it is only right for me to follow their advice and precautions when travelling as well as everyday. This is one way to respond to this aspect of globalization.