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.

• 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