Pandemics, vulnerability, and prevention: time to fundamentally reassess how we value and communicate risk?: CITIES, HEALTH and COVID-19: Initial reflections and future challenges

Black, Daniel; Bates, Geoff; Gibson, Andy; Hatleskog, Eli; Fichera, Eleonora; Hatchard, Jenny; Md Nazmul, Hasan; Rosenberg, Ges; Larkin, Charles; Brierley, Rachel; Kidger, Judi; Bondy, Krista; Hickman, Matt; Pain, Kathy; Hicks, Ben; Scally, Gabriel; Verma, Arpana; Carhart, Neil; Pilkington, Paul; Hunt, Alistair; Ireland, Paddy

Abstract

For over a decade, pandemics have been on the UK National Risk Register as both the likeliest and most severe of threats. Non-infectious ‘lifestyle’ diseases were already crippling our healthcare services and our economy. COVID-19 has exposed two critical vulnerabilities: firstly, the UK’s failure to adequately assess and communicate the severity of non-communicable disease; secondly, the health inequalities across our society, due not least to the poor quality of our urban environments. This suggests a potentially disastrous lack of preventative action and risk management more generally, notably with regards to the existential risks from the climate and ecological crises.

Citation

Black, D., Bates, G., Gibson, A., Hatleskog, E., Fichera, E., Hatchard, J., …Ireland, P. (2022). Pandemics, vulnerability, and prevention: time to fundamentally reassess how we value and communicate risk?: CITIES, HEALTH and COVID-19: Initial reflections and future challenges. Cities and Health, 5(sup1), https://doi.org/10.1080/23748834.2020.1811480

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 23, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Sep 22, 2020
• Publication Date: 2022-06
• Deposit Date: Jun 18, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 18, 2021
• Journal: Cities and Health
• Print ISSN: 2374-8834
• Electronic ISSN: 2374-8842
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 5
• Issue: sup1
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23748834.2020.1811480
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/6975002
• Additional Information: Peer Review Statement: The publishing and review policy for this title is described in its Aims & Scope.; Aim & Scope: http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?show=aimsScope&journalCode=rcah20; Received: 2020-05-12; Accepted: 2020-06-23; Published: 2020-09-22