Poor people with weak immune systems are especially prone to falling ill. At the same time, sick people are particularly likely to plunge into poverty because their scope for earning money is reduced precisely at a time when considerable spending on health care becomes necessary. The weaker a country’s public health-care system is, the more devastating this vicious circle proves to be. The Covid-19 crisis is exacerbating pre-existing problems. The short term challenge is to contain the spread of the novel corona virus, and the long term challenge is to break the vicious cycle of poverty and disease. It must not be neglected once the pandemic is over.
This briefing directly relates to the UN’s third Sustainable Development Goal (SDG): Good health and well-being. It also has a bearing on the other SDGs.
