Pandemics, Poverty, and Politics: Decoding the Social and Political Drivers of Pandemics from Plague to COVID-19

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.

Tyler B. Evans, MD, MS, MPH, is an infectious disease and public health physician. He was the first chief medical officer (CMO) for New York City. He is currently the CEO, CMO, and cofounder of the Wellness Equity Alliance, a national group of clinicians and public health professionals committed to transforming health care delivery to historically marginalized communities. He is an adjunct research associate professor at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine in the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences and an adjunct clinical associate professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.

Peter J. Hotez, MD, PhD (HOUSTON, TX), is a professor of pediatrics and molecular virology and microbiology and the founding dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, where he is also the codirector of the Texas Children's Center for Vaccine Development. He is the author of Preventing the Next Pandemic: Vaccine Diplomacy in a Time of Anti-science and Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel's Autism: My Journey as a Vaccine Scientist, Pediatrician, and Autism Dad.

David Mabey is the past President of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine Hygiene, a physician in infectious and tropical diseases, and the current chair of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Group of the WHO Department of Neglected Tropical Diseases. He was appointed the Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 2014 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for services to health development in Asia and Africa.