The House of Lord’s Intergovernmental Organisations (IGOs) Committee’s report, Diseases Know No Frontiers, reports that a new and potentially deadly infectious disease emerges somewhere in the world every year, adding that further investment in international surveillance of highly communicable infections such as SARS and avian influenza is “vital” if pandemics are to be avoided. 

The report follows a six-month inquiry into the effectiveness of intergovernmental efforts to control the global spread of infectious diseases. The committee recommends that the Government should “urgently” consider how greater priority can be given to bringing infectious disease surveillance and response systems in developing nations to an appropriate level, quoting the Government’s view that the landscape of international activity in disease control is “crowded and poorly coordinated.”  

It also calls for a shift in international health spending between resources for treating specific diseases and investment in improving underlying health services, and urges for more attention to be given to the way in which human and animal diseases are handled and surveillance is coordinated.  

Commenting Lord Soley, Chairman of the International Organisations Committee, said that while the last hundred years have seen great advances in public health and disease control around the world, globalisation and changes in lifestyle are giving rise to new infections and providing opportunities for them to spread rapidly throughout the world. 

He continued: 

"We have been impressed by the increased international resources and commitment which are now being devoted to controlling infectious diseases, and we hope this will continue and grow.  However, for that to be effective it is vital that there is sufficient surveillance of disease outbreaks to limit their spread. 

"We were particularly concerned about the link with animal health. Three quarters of new human infectious diseases start in animals.  We urgently need better surveillance systems to deal with this problem. 

"We also felt their should be more focus on improving health services in the developing world generally, as without improved health facilities it will be far more difficult for current treatment campaigns to take root and for serious infectious disease outbreaks to be identified and dealt with when they occur." 

The report will be available here: http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/hl_intergov.cfm