The federal government has been warned Australia is more exposed to the threat of infectious diseases as a result of major cuts to the foreign aid budget.
The Asia-Pacific region is an incubator for biosecurity threats, the Australian Council for International Development says in a budget submission.
Rabies from Indonesia, drug-resistant tuberculosis from Papua New Guinea, the mosquito-borne Zika virus, malaria, and foot and mouth disease are among major border risks.
Houses in a Townsville suburb were sprayed earlier this week for mosquitoes potentially carrying Zika amid fears a resident had the virus.
The government has slashed the aid budget by $11.3 billion since it came to power in 2013.
The council argues that Australian aid investments in health provided "critical intelligence on emerging health threats in our neighbourhood," and bolstered surveillance networks and the ability to undertaken preventive action.
"Australia's aid program has always been a safety blanket for Australia's health and biosecurity," council chief executive Marc Purcell told AAP.
But Australia has now largely withdrawn funding for regional health investments in southeast Asia.
"This means fewer vaccinations are taking place, fewer health clinics and treatment centres are open to local communities, and fewer laboratories and facilities are tracking and monitoring disease outbreaks in our neighbourhood," Mr Purcell said.
"How can it be in our national interest to abandon such programs right on our doorstep?"
The council urges the government to invest $35 million to help neighbouring countries fight the scourge of communicable infectious diseases.
The cost of improving health care to neighbouring countries paled in comparison to dealing with pandemic or epidemic disease outbreaks on the mainland, Mr Purcell said.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop rejected criticism the aid cuts had increased the risk of disease outbreaks.
"Instead of spending money on, for example, a parliament house for a country in Latin America, what we're now doing is focussing our aid budget on issues that affect our region and the biosecurity of our region is a significant part of that," she told reporters in Canberra.
The reduction in health aid investments in countries such as Indonesia was justified because its economy is going strong and it can now use its own resources, she said.
DISEASE THREATS TO AUSTRALIA
* Rabies
* Tuberculosis
* Foot and mouth disease
* Classical swine fever
* Avian influenza
* Malaria
* Zika virus
* Equine influenza
* Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
