With international trade and travel comes the risk of spreading infectious diseases, a growing problem in today’s global economy, according to an Arizona State University researcher.
“The more trade grows as a proportion of global production, the more likely it is that diseases will be spread through trade, and the higher the economic cost of resulting trade bans,” said Charles Perrings, an ASU professor of environmental economics.
Perrings said current instruments to control infectious diseases are far from adequate and added that options for solving [the problem] include the use of payments for risk reduction in developing countries and the development of a global fund for infectious disease control.
Spread of Infectious Diseases Fueled by International Trade
