세계화 시대, 신종감염병의 습격과 대응 -메르스를 중심으로-

Abstract

Throughout the human history, emerging infectious diseases have had huge impact on human life as a result of human-environment interactions. Ecologic change including climate change is likely to modulate the burden of infectious diseases profoundly as well. Also increased global travel leads to new health problems in other areas in the world. The COVID-19(coronavirus; SARS-CoV-2 virus) pandemic has lasted more than 2 years. It has already affected hundreds of millions of people’s lives, and we have to move on to the next normal soon. This article views to increase resilience to our upcoming emerging infectious diseases by improving systemic capacity to absorb disturbance and re-organize a fully functioning system as well as to advance the state through learning from 2015 MERS(Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, MERS-CoV) response in Korea. The lessons learned from 2015 MERS epidemics in Korea would have increased resilience of Korea to the COVID-19 pandemic at the beginning. Scientific advancements and health policy based on MERS experience, especially the governance at the National Medical Center, allowed for rapid progress in our understanding of the MERS response. If social learning from the previous experience occurs, there will be a greater likelihood that mitigation and preparedness will be improved despite threatening outbreak of the emerging infectious diseases in the future. Coordination, control and cooperation as well as collaboration with the public-private partnership also will play an important role for the prevention, preparedness, response and recovery of the (bio)disaster for the good governance.