University of Georgia researchers are looking into the factors that contribute to the spread of disease in this time when pandemics are becoming more frequent.
In partnership with the University of Oklahoma, UGA scientists have found that poverty is a significant contributor to viral outbreaks.
According to the study, “Socioeconomic factors act as amplifiers of viral outbreaks...” The factors highlighted in the study were contaminated water and food, antibiotic use, sewage management, and public health infrastructure.
Payton Phillips, the lead author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher at UGA, says that to keep outbreaks from spreading out of control these factors should proactively be addressed where there are socioeconomic issues.
