International Trade May Spur the Spread of Infectious Disease

How do infectious diseases spread? It may be fueled by international trade.  Scientists have found that along with international trade and travel comes the risk of spreading infectious diseases.

"The recent Ebola outbreak made us realize that we are all just a plane ride away from exposure to emerging infectious diseases," said Charles Perrings, one of the researchers, in a news release.

In this latest study, the researchers examined the growth of international trade since the 1950s, and the increasingly tight coupling of developed and developing economies. The scientists also considered how the global community currently deals with trade-related infectious disease risks of animals and plants, and asks how the system could be made more effective.

An example of the impact of infectious disease occurred in 2001 in the UK when an outbreak of hoof and mouth disease cost about $10 billion and more than 2 million sheep and cattle had to be destroyed. More recently, African swine fever has spread in the Caucasus region through the trade in pork, or through waste in trade vehicles.

"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. What is at risk is the food we eat, the fibers we wear and build with, and the fuels we burn. In addition many infectious diseases that affect animals also affect people," said Charles Perrings, one of the researchers, in a news release. "Zoonoses like SARS, MERS, HIV AIDS, or highly pathogenic avian influenza, all originated in wild animals and were then spread person to person through trade and travel."

The findings reveal a bit more about the spread of infectious diseases. In addition, it shows that the current instruments used to control these diseases are far from adequate. This, in particular, could be addressed by confronting exporters and importers with the risks they impose on customers and by undertaking cooperative, collective control of these diseases.

The findings are published in the journal Food Security.

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