Diseases Know No Frontiers: How Effective are Intergovernmental Organisations in Controlling Their Spread?: 1st Report of Session 2007-08

This report, ( HLP 143-I, session 2007-08 , ISBN 9780104013304) is from a new ad hoc Select Committee on Intergovernmental Organisations and reviews the effectiveness with which such organisations are tackling the global spread of infectious diseases and how the UK’s membership is beneficial. The advent of globalisation and changes in human lifestyles have enabled new infections to emerge.The Committee has taken evidence from many organisations including governmental, intergovernmental, charitable and private sources and that the general landscape of international health is crowded and poorly coordinated. Despite this, the Committee believes that the process of coordinating structures has to be evolutionary and that the leadership function must rest with the World Health Organisation. Further, that the WHO’s remit and resources should be developed in order to encourage and support collaboration and rationalisation amongst the various bodies. The targeting of specific diseases or groups of diseases needs to be done in coordination with improving the quality and quantity of health systems generally.This coordinated approach is specifically required in the area of infectious disease surveillance, with many developing countries seriously deficient in this respect. The Committee also believes that the focus has been on the treatment of infectious diseases as opposed to prevention, creating an imbalance in investment. There should also be more effective coordination between intergovernmental systems conducting surveillance of human and animal diseases. For Vol. 2, Evidence (see ISBN 9780104013298).