Emerging infectious diseases, such as Ebola, Zika, and H5N1, are threats to both national and global security. These and other diseases can spread rapidly across borders, causing not only health crises but also social and political destabilization. They can rapidly cause pandemics. Given the high degree of interconnectedness across states Governments may face internal unrest when populations lose trust in the health system, when disinformation runs rampant, when public health responses become the target of political polarization, or when health care resources are stretched thin.

Additionally, health crises divert critical resources from other important aspects of governance, including defense, social services, and diplomacy. This reduces a nation’s ability to respond effectively to other security challenges. Indeed, as recent history has shown us, in democracies (such as the USA), pandemics may compromise the effectiveness of governance more than they do in autocratic states (such as Russia or China).

In conflict zones, civilian health infrastructure is often attacked by combatants. The destruction of hospitals, community health care centers, and other points of care, leading to challenges in the delivery of medical care, may not only deepen existing humanitarian crises but may also serve as a powerful destabilizing force by exacerbating tensions that have historically existed. Malignant state and intra-state actors can then more easily capitalize on widening social fractures, exacerbating the existing conflict and even moving it into adjacent jurisdictions (such as in the Sahel region of Africa).

Substantial challenges to human health and wellbeing, by any reason (for example: war, climate change, famine, etc.) often lead to large-scale human migration, as people flee regions where diseases run unchecked, or health systems are inadequate for their needs. This migration often places additional strain on neighboring countries, leading to economic burden and additional political and social friction.

Nationally and globally, investing in health and health care is essential not just for the wellbeing of individuals but for the peace and security of entire regions. Preventing disease outbreaks in vulnerable areas, improving health care infrastructure, and ensuring access to necessary health care services can help stabilize societies and prevent the spread of social, economic, and political unrest.