Why global urban more vulnerable to virus spread

As more people have moved to cities, population density, human encroachment and increased. This is why global urban interconnectivity have contributed to the spread of infectious diseases.

When the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the novel coronavirus a pandemic in March this year. Issued guidelines on how to reduce transmission. These guidelines include physical distancing, frequent handwashing and self-isolation.

For many decades, cities have represented many opportunities for a better life and employment. Access to health care and education, and to name a few. Cities have seen a significant influx from rural areas over the years. In 1950 one-third of the world’s population lived in cities and the rest in rural areas. In the coming decades, this is set to be inverted. 68% of the global population projected to live in urban areas by 2050.

For many people living in urban areas in low- and middle-income such restrictions are not feasible or practical. This can be due to a range of factors including: limited access to clean water and sanitation. Makes regular handwashing difficult to achieve; high population density. Large slums with several generations living under a single roof make physical distancing impossible. A large proportion of the population being dependent on the informal economy. People who rely on informal incomes have no financial safety net. Their place of work and cannot self-isolate because they need to provide for themselves and their families.

Cities are defined by their crowded nature, and people living.

Travelling, working and studying in close quarters means more passive human-to-human contact. This can increase the risk of transmitting viruses. The increased number of passive encounters between people due to high populations and more opportunities. This type of contact to happen due to density can lead to a domino effect in terms of infectivity of viruses and diseases.