Policy Responses to the Plight of Infectious Disease in Federal Systems.

Global public health matters span national borders and affect multitudes of people. The spread of infectious disease has neither political nor economic boundaries, and when elevated to a status of epidemic proportions, necessitates immediate action. In federalized systems the national government leads the policy formation and implementation process, but also collaborates with supranational organizations as part of the global health network. Likewise, it cooperates with subnational governments located in both urban and rural areas. Rural areas, particularly in less developed countries, tend to have higher poverty rates, and lack the benefits of proper medical facilities, communication, and technology to study and avert the spread of disease. This article will examine federal health policies relating to epidemiological surveillance and intervention in four federal systems: Australia, Malaysia, the United States, and Venezuela. It contributes to the literature on federalism by introducing federalist theory to epidemiology, and specifically examines discrepancies between policy implementation in urban and rural areas. It also explores the roles of supranational organizations as members of the global health network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]