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Historical Perspective of Pediatric Health Disparities in Infectious Diseases: Centuries in the Making
Matthew P Kronman1, Jessica N Snowden2,3
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA.
Insights
Infectious diseases disproportionately impact vulnerable populations due to social determinants of health, not just biology. Understanding these health disparities provides context for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Infectious Diseases
- Health Equity
Background:
- Historically, infectious diseases have disproportionately affected specific communities.
- The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic highlighted these existing health disparities.
- Differences in disease impact are multifactorial, stemming from socioeconomic factors and social determinants of health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight health disparities in common infections.
- To provide context for the COVID-19 pandemic using historical data.
- To examine the role of social determinants in infectious disease outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Review of historical infectious disease data.
- Analysis of health disparities in vulnerable populations.
- Literature review on social determinants of health and infectious diseases.
Main Results:
- Infectious diseases like RSV, tuberculosis, HIV, syphilis, and influenza show significant health disparities.
- Socioeconomic factors and social determinants of health are primary drivers of these disparities.
- Biological susceptibility plays a lesser role compared to social and economic factors.
Conclusions:
- Lessons from past infectious disease outbreaks and disparities inform our understanding of COVID-19.
- Addressing social determinants of health is crucial for mitigating infectious disease impacts on vulnerable communities.
- A comprehensive approach considering social factors is needed to combat health inequities in infectious diseases.
Abstract:
Coronavirus (COVID-19) laid bare the disproportionate effects of infectious agents on vulnerable communities. However, historically, infectious diseases have long been known to affect certain communities to a greater extent than others. The mechanisms behind these differences are multifactorial, and lie less in biological susceptibility and instead more on socioeconomic factors and other social determinants of health. This article highlights health disparities in common infections such as respiratory syncytial virus, tuberculosis, HIV, syphilis, and influenza and will use lessons learned from previous pathogens and infectious disease disparities in vulnerable populations to provide context to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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