We posit that international business and the emergence and spread of communicable diseases are intrinsically connected. To support our arguments, we first start with a historical timeline that traces the connections between international business and communicable diseases back to the sixth century. Second, following the epidemiology of communicable diseases, we identify two crucial transitions related to international business: the emergence of epidemics within a host country and the shift from epidemics to global pandemics. Third, we highlight international business contextual factors (host country regulatory quality, urbanization, trade barriers, global migration) and multinationals’ activities (foreign direct investment, corporate political activity, global supply chain management, international travel) that could accelerate each transition. Finally, building on public health insights, we suggest research implications for business scholars on how to integrate human health challenges into their studies and practical implications for global managers on how to help prevent the emergence and spread of communicable diseases.

我们认为，国际商务与传染病的出现和传播具有内在联系。为了支持我们的论点，我们首先从一个历史时间表开始，该时间表将国际商业与传染病之间的联系追溯到六世纪。其次，根据传染病的流行病学，我们确定了与国际业务相关的两个关键转变：东道国流行病的出现以及从流行病向全球流行病的转变。第三，我们强调国际商业环境因素（东道国监管质量、城市化、贸易壁垒、全球移民）和跨国公司的活动（外国直接投资、企业政治活动、全球供应链管理、国际旅行）可以加速每次转型。