Disease and class

Doctors like Paul Farmer have been saying for years that a selfish reason to see to it that the poor have access to a decent standard of living and medical care is that disease does not respect class boundaries.

This epidemic in Chicago seems to show the arguments' validity:

MRSA on the march

Here is a disease that got it's start, or found an ideal launching pad, in an over-crowded prison.

Because we didn't care about the prisoners conditions, the disease spread among the prisoners.

Because 350 prisoners a day are released to poor neighborhoods, the disease found a new launching pad among the Chicago poor.

Because we didn't care about the living conditions of the poor, the disease spread among the poor.

Because the poor intermingle with the rich, at least as far as cleaning their homes, doing their laundry and other "remedial" tasks are concerned, the disease will likely spread among the rich.

Will anyone care then?

This is just another good argument in favor of universal health care, but one that even the most selfish, heard-hearted, individual can agree with if possessed with a sense of self-preservation.

I am reminded of the adage, "Whatsoever you do to the least of your brothers, that you do unto you."

I fear we are living in an age of consequences.

ADDENDUM: Michael Moore has a new movie out called Sicko which highlights the inefficiencies of our current health care system. You can see his first live interview in 2.5 years below:

Sicko out soon