A Deadly Plague Of Slums

Mike Davis warns that concentrated poverty and poor santitation in Asian and African slums could cause a worldwide public health catastrophe.

1 minute read

February 10, 2004, 5:00 AM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"In South Asia... investment in public health has lagged far behind the growth of slums. The five largest cities of the region alone have a total slum population of more than 20 million, and standards of sanitation are symbolized by ratios of one toilet seat per 2000 residents in the poorest parts of Bombay and Dhaka. That's where the brushfire of (the next influenza pandemic) could turn into a deadly biological firestorm."

Thanks to Michael Dudley

Monday, October 24, 2005 in TomDispatch

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