**3. The "forgotten" pandemic**

When looking at the COVID-19 pandemic, including some of the more common points of scientific focus, it becomes clear that there are several topics *Introductory Chapter: Transitioning International Health Security Focus from COVID-19… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.107277*

that have not received as much attention as they arguably deserve. These relatively "neglected" areas include the effects of COVID-19 on pregnancy and the perinatal period, the pandemic-related appearance of toxic stress, as well as some of the corresponding "lessons learned" during the pandemic. Additionally, more emphasis is needed when it comes to new and emerging concerns related to topics of climate change and its effects on human, animal, and environmental health and well-being, as well as the importance of system-wide adaptation in the context of the anticipated increase in natural disaster frequency and severity. An important discussion on occupational accidents provides a excellent segway into non-pandemic topics, followed by a compendium on the impact of climate change on international health security. In this manner, we hope to "transition" the focus of our future work away from the COVID-19 pandemic and toward the overarching issue of climate change and its effects on the wellbeing of humans. Nevertheless, the impact of COVID-19 cannot be overstated, especially with regard to its global implications on healthcare delivery, mental health consequences, our overall collective response, as well as any other secondary implications—such as increasing reports of opportunistic pathogens, surprising pathologies and disease patterns that have resulted from "letting our guard down." This includes spikes in cancer and cardiovascular disease rates due to less-than-optimal health maintenance and follow-up availability during the pandemic.
