As witnessed under COVID-19, pandemics are among the largest threats to the global health and economy.
The core idea of the PANSOC centre is that infectious disease pandemics created by influenza or coronaviruses have always been more than just a medical problem. Their epidemiology and impact are profoundly shaped by social and economic structures.
Socioeconomic status and ethnicity plays a major role in who falls ill, who dies, and who survives.
The overarching aim of our group is to study historical and modern data to enhance the understanding of social and biological risk factors for severe influenza and COVID-19 outcomes by socioeconomic and indigenous status and to improve pandemic preparedness.
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Read more about PANSOC
The primary objective of PANSOC is to map the socially vulnerable risk groups in order to understand how social and ethnic disparities in exposure, susceptibility and access to care lead to social and ethnic disparities in (non) pharmaceutical interventions, pandemic outcomes as well as health and labour market consequences.
The secondary objective of PANSOC is to aid policymakers in developing targeted interventions by social and ethnic status in addition to medical indications, in order to reach the WHO goal of 75 percent vaccine coverage during seasonal influenza, to reduce ethnic and social disparities, to save lives, reduce social and economic suffering as well as medical costs during epidemics and pandemics.
The aims and objectives of PANSOC are therefore also closely aligned with three of the UN Sustainable Development Goals of reducing social inequalities (Goal 10), eradication of poverty (Goal 1) and ensuring good health for all (Goal 3).
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Publications
You can find all scientific publications from the researchers involved in PANSOC on the Centre blog:
Weekly webinars from PANSOC
Every Thursday top researchers from around the globe will present their findings on the societal aspects of pandemics.
Full schedule and how to attend – spring 2024Research projects
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Disability and Disease during the 1918 Influenza Pandemic: Implications for Preparedness Policies
A global influenza pandemic is imminent and public health preparedness plans that address the needs of vulnerable populations are indispensable. While researchers have documented socioeconomic and geographic variables that contribute to disparities in infection and mortality, there has been little to no investigation of disability as a risk factor during influenza pandemics, despite the warnings of epidemiologists that persons with disabilities would be at increased risk.
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Early COVID-19 wave in Norway: Social inequality in morbidity, compliance to non-pharmaceutical interventions and labour marked consequences (CorRisk)
Pandemics like COVID-19 are among the most pressing global threats to human life and economic security. The core idea of CorRisk is that infectious disease pandemics created by influenza or corona-viruses have always been more than just a medical problem and that their epidemiology and impact are profoundly shaped by social and economic structures. While the state of the art mainly studies medical risk factors, this project proposes to study the "forgotten" socioeconomic risk factors for unequal morbidity, compliance to the NPIs and labor market consequences.
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Socioeconomic risk groups, vaccination and pandemic influenza (PANRISK)
Pandemics are one of the most pressing global threats to human life and economic security. It is not a matter of if, but when a new influenza pandemic will arise. This project proposes to study the “forgotten” socioeconomic risk factors for unequal influenza outcomes and consequences. It will bear important implications for health.
