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Inequality is turning pandemics into longer, deadlier crises, a new report from UNAIDS said today. The study, led by top economists, public‑health experts and political leaders in the Global Council on Inequality, AIDS and Pandemics, shows how deep divides inside and between countries make it harder to stop disease outbreaks.
The findings say that higher inequality does more than just cause economic problems when a virus strikes. It also lets the virus spread faster, kill more people, and stay in the world longer. And the reverse is true: pandemics, whether COVID‑19, Ebola, influenza, mpox or HIV, widen those gaps and create a self‑reinforcing cycle of poverty and disease.
“We should stop inequalities before a new pandemic hits,” said Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director and U.N. Under‑Secretary‑General. “If we cut the gaps—in housing, jobs, schooling, and social protection—life will be safer for everyone.”
The report urges governments and health bodies—particularly as G20 health ministers prepare for an upcoming meeting—to act early. It calls for new ways to package health security that include direct efforts to reduce inequality both at the national and global levels.
Key recommendations include:
* Removing financial barriers so all countries can fight back against the roots of pandemics.
* Building local and regional production of vaccines and treatments, while sharing technology as a public good.
* Making sure economic policies give decent housing, reliable jobs, high‑quality education and solid social support.
Professor Sir Michael Marmot from University College London’s Institute of Health Equity summed it up: “Reducing inequalities is essential, not optional, for pandemic preparedness and response. It cuts the risk of disease at its very source.”
The fresh research arrives at a time when new outbreaks of avian flu and mpox are being reported worldwide, while regulators approve breakthrough HIV prevention drugs. By tackling inequality now, experts argue, countries can protect their citizens and curb future global disease crises far more effectively.
Source: ianslive
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