Social inequalities and emerging infectious diseases

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Sociology

Background:

• Many studies on emerging infections focus on disease production theories.
• Few studies examine the role of social inequalities in disease emergence.
• Social inequalities profoundly influence infectious disease distribution and outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the critical role of social inequalities in disease emergence.
• To advocate for dynamic, systemic, and critical models of disease emergence.
• To re-examine disease emergence by incorporating social forces and their impact on populations.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of social-production-of-disease theories.
• Examination of case studies like Ebola, AIDS, and tuberculosis.
• Critical review of dominant analytic frameworks in emerging infectious diseases.

Main Results:

• Social inequalities are a powerful determinant in the distribution and course of infectious diseases.
• Existing models often overlook the pathogenic roles of social inequalities.
• A critical perspective reveals obscured features of disease emergence.

Conclusions:

• Models of disease emergence must be dynamic, systemic, and critical, incorporating social inequalities.
• Understanding disease emergence necessitates examining how large-scale social forces affect unequally positioned individuals.
• Future research requires interdisciplinary collaboration between basic scientists, clinicians, and social scientists.