Canada's Pandemic Forces

In the past Canada's defence focus, structures and strategies where grounded in a very different world. Today global integration has changed the world. Defence focus was until recently on the ABCs: atomic, biological and chemical threats. The letter D has also been added now for digital - the cyber threat from both state and non-state actors. Soon there will be more.

In recent years there have been greater concern not about man made threats, but nature made threats - disease in previously hidden animal reservoirs now accessible and transmissible globally within hours. We have had some near misses - like the coronavirus. We have not been so lucky with the spread of the Nile virus.

Canada has a well developed medical capability but may not have a robust overall panedemic strategy.

Public Health Agency of Canada      North American Pandemic Plan (2012)      The International Centre for Infectious Diseases - Winnipeg      “The Neglected Dimension of Global Security: A Framework to Counter Infectious Disease Crises."      The Caribbean region can increase its disease preparedness by learning lessons from past epidemics, say C James Hospedales and Babatunde Olowokure, Caribbean Public Health Agency      Pandemic Watch    Top