Swine Flu Exposes Global Health Apartheid

by Mike Smith · 2009-09-10 06:00:00 UTC
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Swine Flu is likely to hit developing nations hardest, and at the same time expose more general global health inequalities. This "healthcare apartheid" sees rich countries afforded protection, whilst the poor nations are not. World Health Org chief Magaret Chan said "I believe [swine flu] will reveal in a measurable and tragic way the consequences of decades of failure to invest adequately in basic health systems and infrastructure."

The question of ethics is an interesting one here too, with Raw Story pondering our principles, and presenting the facts: "Each day, around 11,500 people are killed from the long-running, entrenched pandemics of AIDS, malaria and TB. Swine flu has killed 816 people since the disease was notified in April." The facts speak for themselves.

[Photo credit: Beijing-China]

Mike Smith
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