Pandemic Threat: Beyond the Virus
The pandemic threat isn't just the virus — it's inequality, writes Matthew M. Kavanagh, director of the Georgetown University Center for Global Health Policy and Politics.
Science has the capability to stop outbreaks, sequence a virus in days, build a vaccine in months, and detect outbreaks almost as soon as they begin.
Science can stop outbreaks, but equity is needed to prevent pandemics.
Despite advancements in technology, pandemics are occurring more frequently, spreading wider, and costing more lives and livelihoods than ever before.
- Rising inequality is making the world more vulnerable to disease.
- Every pandemic, in turn, deepens inequality.
Author's summary: Pandemics are fueled by inequality.