the governance of pandemic risks in east asia · the governance of pandemic risks in east asia...
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The Governance of Pandemic Risksin East AsiaSupported by the University of Duisburg-Essen, start-up funding for post-doc projects, 2009
Kerstin LuknerIN-EAST, Political Science, East Asian Politics
At the beginning of the new millenniumEast and Southeast Asia were hit hard bythe outbreak of SARS and the avian influ-enza. Both virus diseases show high ratesof morbidity and mortality among humans,as effective vaccines do not exist and thesuccess of medical treatment has provento be a matter of luck. Both diseases thuscontain the potential risk of developing intouncontrollable global pandemics withincalculable consequences.
Since more than 95% of all recorded SARS andavian flu infections in humans have been ascribedto Asia, this research project focuses on thequestion of how selected governments in theregion (PR China, Japan) have been reacting tothis pandemic risk challenge.
It scrutinizes whether impending pandemicoutbreaks lead to an alteration in the strategiesvis-à-vis these health risks and whether theyinitiate institutional change in the public healthand safety sector.
Avian influenza virus