Pandemic Influenza Planning in the United States from a Health Disparities Perspective

Philip Blumenshine,*1 Arthur Reingold,† Susan Egerter,‡ Robin Mockenhaupt,§ Paula Braveman,‡ and James Marks§

*Weill/Cornell Medical College, Ithaca, New York, USA; †University of California, Berkeley, California, USA; ‡University of California, San Francisco, California, USA; and §Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
EID Journal Home > Volume 14, Number 5–May 2008
CDC Journal Emerging Infectious Disease

Available online at: http://www.cdc.gov/eid/content/14/5/709.htm

“……We explored how different socioeconomic and racial/ethnic groups in the United States might fare in an influenza pandemic on the basis of social factors that shape exposure, vulnerability to influenza virus, and timeliness and adequacy of treatment. We discuss policies that might differentially affect social groups' risk for illness or death.

Our purpose is not to establish the precise magnitude of disparities likely to occur; rather, it is to call attention to avoidable disparities that can be expected in the absence of systematic attention to differential social risks in pandemic preparedness plans. Policy makers at the federal, state, and local levels should consider potential sources of socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities during a pandemic and formulate specific plans to minimize these disparities….” Abstract

“…..We have focused here on the United States, but similar fundamental principles—the need for systematic and concrete planning to minimize the social disparities that can be expected to occur in the face of natural disasters such as an influenza pandemic—apply worldwide.

Countries with universal financial access to healthcare and strong social safety nets will be best positioned to minimize such disparities. Countries in which large proportions of the population are impoverished or otherwise socially excluded and countries that have more limited resources and weaker public health and social welfare infrastructures will face the greatest challenges. The framework used here—considering and proactively addressing social vulnerability in exposure to pathogens, susceptibility to disease once exposed, and consequences of illness—should be applicable across national and subnational settings….”

Article Contents
· Conceptual Framework
· How Could Disparities Arise?
· Discussion
· Conclusions
· References - Figure - Table