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Economic crisis and infectious disease control: a public health predicament

Will the economic downturn limit the capacity of infectious disease control in Europe? The recession peaked in 2009, with GDP growth rates tumbling by 2% for Greece and 18% for Latvia; conversely, most recently the European Union (EU) unemployment rate escalated to 9.5%, whereas youth unemployment soared to 21%. More than 80 million people live below the poverty line in the EU, disproportionally impacting children and the elderly. Public expenditures were cut in response to mounting government debt, disassembling the protective social welfare net. EU population standard of living is expected to deteriorate as a consequence and so is the risk of social exclusion. During times of economic upheaval, elimination of government services can have other unforeseen consequences: budget cuts in public health practice can fuel the epidemic potential of infectious diseases. Dismantling infectious disease control during times of social deterioration is the recipe for epidemics.