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"Racism is a disease of white people." -- Albert Einstein
*** April 12, 2021 -- The CDC last week declared racism a serious public health threat and outlined steps it will take to address it.
"It affects the health of our entire nation," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, said in a statement.
The CDC is the largest public health group to make that statement but joins many other groups that have done the same. The American Public Health Association says that more than 170 local and state leaders and public health entities have declared racism a public health crisis or emergency.
One of the most visible examples currently is found in the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which has disproportionately affected people of color through structural barriers, Walensky said. People from ethnic and racial minority groups are at greater risk of getting COVID-19 and of dying from it.
As Medscape previously reported, Harvard medical school researchers found that health care workers of color were more likely to care for patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, more likely to report using inadequate protective gear, and nearly twice as likely as white colleagues to test positive for the virus.
The CDC listed some ways it will address racism. First, Walensky said, the agency is using federal COVID-19 funding to invest in communities of color, as well as other disproportionately affected groups, to address health care gaps.
The CDC also added a new section to its website dedicated to racism and health.
"The data show that racial and ethnic minority groups, throughout the United States, experience higher rates of illness and death across a wide range of health conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, obesity, asthma, and heart disease, when compared to their white counterparts," Walensky writes in a commentary on the site,
She said the CDC will also continue to study social determinants' effect on health outcomes and racism's effect on health.
*** April 12, 2021 -- The CDC last week declared racism a serious public health threat and outlined steps it will take to address it.
"It affects the health of our entire nation," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, said in a statement.
The CDC is the largest public health group to make that statement but joins many other groups that have done the same. The American Public Health Association says that more than 170 local and state leaders and public health entities have declared racism a public health crisis or emergency.
One of the most visible examples currently is found in the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which has disproportionately affected people of color through structural barriers, Walensky said. People from ethnic and racial minority groups are at greater risk of getting COVID-19 and of dying from it.
As Medscape previously reported, Harvard medical school researchers found that health care workers of color were more likely to care for patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, more likely to report using inadequate protective gear, and nearly twice as likely as white colleagues to test positive for the virus.
The CDC listed some ways it will address racism. First, Walensky said, the agency is using federal COVID-19 funding to invest in communities of color, as well as other disproportionately affected groups, to address health care gaps.
The CDC also added a new section to its website dedicated to racism and health.
"The data show that racial and ethnic minority groups, throughout the United States, experience higher rates of illness and death across a wide range of health conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, obesity, asthma, and heart disease, when compared to their white counterparts," Walensky writes in a commentary on the site,
She said the CDC will also continue to study social determinants' effect on health outcomes and racism's effect on health.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Overview
COVID-19 is a new type of coronavirus that causes mild to severe cases. Here’s a quick guide on how to spot symptoms, risk factors, prevent spread of the disease, and find out what to do if you think you have it.
www.webmd.com