A new Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) report has warned that rising inequality is intensifying the impact of pandemics, making them more severe, longer-lasting, and harder to control. Released on Monday, the report—developed by the Global Council on Inequality, AIDS and Pandemics, a high-level panel of economists, health experts, and political leaders—stressed that inequalities within and between nations are leaving the world dangerously exposed to future health crises.
According to the report, inequality not only amplifies the economic and health consequences of pandemics but also prolongs their duration, as seen during outbreaks of COVID-19, AIDS, Ebola, influenza, and mpox. At the same time, pandemics themselves are worsening inequality, creating a vicious cycle that undermines global health security.
The report urged countries to tackle inequality proactively rather than reactively, arguing that addressing the social and economic determinants of pandemics is critical to effective preparedness. It called for a new framework for global health security—one that dismantles the inequality-pandemic cycle through practical measures at national and international levels.
The findings come as G20 Health Ministers prepare to convene amid emerging global outbreaks of avian flu and mpox, and as regulators approve new HIV prevention drugs.
The report also recommended removing financial barriers in the global system to ensure all nations have adequate fiscal capacity to mitigate inequalities that fuel pandemics, warning that failure to act could leave the world unprepared for the next major health crisis.