PETALING JAYA: Asean must strengthen regional coordination to confront pandemics, zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and other health threats that cannot be contained within national borders, health experts say.
Prof Dr Zaleha Md Isa of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia said individual national policies are insufficient to address public health risks that exploit porous borders, regulatory differences and shared ecosystems.
Among the most pressing threats, she said, are pandemics and zoonotic outbreaks, with pathogens such as avian influenza, Nipah virus and emerging coronaviruses capable of spreading rapidly across countries.
“Isolated national border closures or unilateral testing protocols fail without real-time, shared epidemiological surveillance and joint rapid-containment strategies,” she said when contacted.
She said Asean needs a coordinated One Health surveillance system linking human, animal and environmental health, alongside stronger regional laboratory networks and harmonised regulations to combat AMR.
Differences in rules governing antibiotic sales, veterinary drug use and agricultural practices could undermine an individual country’s efforts as resistant pathogens spread through travel, trade, livestock and shared waterways.
Zaleha said Malaysia, as chair of the 17th Asean Health Ministers Meeting which starts today, should push for more concrete commitments, including stronger pathogen and AMR data-sharing, pooled procurement and medical stockpiles, and the full operationalisation of the Asean Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases.
Public health physician Dr Rozita Hod pointed to the transboundary haze as an immediate regional health threat requiring coordinated action involving multiple agencies and neighbouring countries.
She said technical assistance and resources should be extended to countries that need them, adding that solid waste management is another issue requiring attention.
Economist Emeritus Prof Dr Barjoyai Bardai said the economic risks go beyond infectious diseases, with ageing populations and shortages of healthcare workers representing Asean’s biggest long-term challenge.
An ageing population would increase healthcare and long-term care expenditure while shrinking the productive workforce and shortages of doctors, nurses, caregivers and public health professionals would further strain the health system, he said.
Barjoyai described AMR as potentially the region’s “most expensive silent crisis”, warning that drug-resistant infections could drive up healthcare costs and reduce labour productivity.
Future pandemics also remained a major systemic economic risk after Covid-19 showed how quickly a health emergency could disrupt trade, tourism, manufacturing, education and public finances.
“The biggest health challenge for Asean is not any single disease but the combination of ageing populations, workforce shortages, antimicrobial resistance and future health shocks,” he said.
