The Perspective of Socioeconomic Inequalities and Infectious Disease in 21st Century

At the turn of the new century, the United Nations set a series of global health goals to be achieved by 2015. Amongst the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), goal six aimed to combat HIV, malaria and other diseases. Whilst progress has been made towards addressing MDG 6, improvement has been slower than anticipated and both communicable and non-communicable diseases have risen to prominence in the minds of health planners in the last few years. In recent times, attention has been focused on addressing non-communicable diseases, as statistics indicate they are the major threats to health. However, the notion that infectious diseases could be eradicated, which came to prominence in the 1960s and 70s, has proven to be false and the need to address the growing threat from infectious diseases has become clear. Since the turn of the century it has become apparent that we are losing the fight against infectious diseases, and many of the diseases we thought under control are now a threat once again. Additionally, several new forms of infectious disease have been recorded, many of which threaten human health as we have little or no resistance towards them.

The greatest advances in the health of people have come from equitable access to basic essential resources such as clean air, soil and housing, clean water and nutritious food. Environmental and economic factors, such as global warming, are creating shortages in essential resources and leading to increased human habitation in urban areas. Similarly, war and civil unrest have led to mass migration. Urban living especially for socially disadvantaged groups creates the conditions in which infectious diseases can thrive, adapt and spread quickly. Infectious diseases do not recognize borders, and increased speed of travel and the reduction in restrictions on travel have heightened the possibility of pandemics. Read more............