Full Description
A compelling exploration of how socio-political factors like inequality and poverty exacerbate pandemics.
In a world where millions perish from preventable diseases amid unprecedented wealth and technological advancement, Pandemics, Poverty, and Politics illuminates a central paradox of our times. This compelling work by a seasoned physician and global health leader unravels the complex web of social, political, and economic factors driving pandemics and other public health crises.
Drawing from over two decades of experience in the public health field, Tyler B. Evans, MD, MS, MPH, presents a unique and deeply personal narrative. The book begins with a foundational introduction to social medicine and health systems, as well as the social and political determinants of health. Dr. Evans provides readers with examples of every major pandemic starting with the turn of the twentieth century to current times—beginning with the third plague and ending with COVID-19—highlighting the common social and political drivers of these outbreaks. Fractured health systems worsened by social disruption place inordinate stress on societies and disproportionately impact the most vulnerable. These historic examples of pandemics in addition to more contemporary examples of ongoing epidemics and major public health concerns ranging from malaria and neglected tropical diseases to influenza, HIV/AIDS, diarrheal diseases, Ebola, and tuberculosis reinforce how sociopolitical factors build upon each other. Case in point: high population stress following political repression and unrest in apartheid South Africa contributed to a major outbreak of HIV in the 1990s, as did multinational diamond mining and minimal infrastructure help precipitate the worst ebola outbreak in history in Sierra Leone.
While scientific advancements have progressed, the failure to address underlying social inequities leaves us vulnerable to even more devastating health crises. This book is an essential read for public health and health care professionals, policymakers, social science researchers, students, and anyone committed to understanding and mitigating the complex factors that underpin global health emergencies.
Contents
Foreword, by Peter Hotez
Foreword, by David Mabey
Prologue
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part I. The Foundational Principles of Social Medicine
Chapter 1. A Primer in Health Systems
Hospital Networks
Community Health
Public Health
Population Health
Chapter 2. Defining the Social (and Political) Determinants of Health
Economic Stability
Education Access and Quality
Health Care Access and Quality (Health Equity)
Neighborhood and Built Environment
Social and Community Context
Political Determinants
Chapter 3. Population Stress
Chapter 4. Selected Vulnerable Populations Around the World
Poverty
Neighborhoods
Minority Race/Ethnicity
Minority Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity
Religious Minorities
Low-Income Labor
Immigration Status of Political Migrants
People with Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders
Justice-Impacted Communities
Part II. Syndemics—the Cascading Impacts of Poverty and Pandemics
Chapter 5. History of Contemporary Pandemics and Public Health Emergencies of International Concern
3rd Plague Pandemic, 1855-1960
6th Cholera Pandemic, 1899-1923
Spanish Influenza, 1918-1920
Asian Flu, 1957-1958
Hong Kong Flu, 1968-1970
Swine Flu, 2009-2010
HIV/AIDS, 1981-
Ebola (West Africa, 2014-2016; Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2019-2020)
COVID-19, 2019-
Chapter 6. The Most Prevalent Infectious Disease Killers Today
Tuberculosis
Malaria
Meningitis
Measles
Diarrheal Diseases
Summary of the Sociopolitical Determinants of Current Infectious Disease Killers
Part III. How Can We Do Better?
Chapter 7. The Future of Syndemic Management
Chapter 8. A Call to Action
Glossary
Notes
Further Reading
Index
