Pandemics Don’t Stop at Borders: Why Global Health Security Still Matters

In 2014, Ebola reached U.S. shores—a wake-up call that pandemics anywhere can threaten communities everywhere. In response, the United States with other countries and international organizations launched the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), a global partnership to prevent, detect, and respond to emerging diseases before they spread.

In this episode, former USAID Senior Public Health Advisor Ashna Kibria reflects on how the U.S. strengthened outbreak preparedness systems around the world and what’s at stake now that USAID is gone. From building early warning networks to partnering with governments, researchers, and the private sector, Ashna helped design programs that connected public health, agriculture, and environmental systems to stop outbreaks before they started. She also led efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR), one of the world’s most urgent and overlooked health threats.

Today, those global partnerships continue but with reduced U.S. coordination and support. As new outbreaks emerge, the world is reminded that health security depends on shared responsibility, not isolation.

Listen to learn how USAID’s partnerships once formed a quiet frontline against pandemics—and what it means now that those defenses have shifted to others.

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