Demographic Change and Human Mobility

Abstract

Due to the modernization of medical technology and better standard of living today, the world is better equipped to fight a pandemic today than it was in 1918, when Spanish flu swept the globe and infected up to one-third of the world's population (Population Reference Bureau (PRB), 2020). While science and medical advances have given humanity new advantages in fighting disease, some demographic trends today may increase the risk for spreading contagions and our vulnerability to viruses. This is mainly due to the sheer volume of today's population movements, from migration and travel as people fly within and across countries. This vast mobility may make it faster and easier for viruses to spread around the world. COVID-19, which purportedly started in 2019, was a global pandemic that now affects the whole world due to high mobility among countries. This has caused many countries across regions in the world to implement a lockdown in their respective countries to avoid the spread of COVID-19. This pandemic may have introduced a new norm in society today.

Citation

Chiam, C.C. and Woo, T.K. (2021), "Demographic Change and Human Mobility", Kulshreshtha, S.K. (Ed.) Virus Outbreaks and Tourism Mobility (Tourism Security-Safety and Post Conflict Destinations), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 31-41. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80071-334-520211004