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Health inequalities persist in infectious disease admissions, warns UKHSA
As part of its commitment to achieving equitable health security outcomes, the UK Health Security Agency has published comprehensive new data, which shows there are stark social divides in infectious disease admission rates. The Health Inequalities in Health Protection
report provides a high-level summary of the current state of health inequalities in England caused by infectious diseases, as well as environmental health hazards. The analysis mainly uses hospital admissions as a measure of infectious disease levels. Among the key findings include: l People living in the 20% most deprived areas in England are almost twice as likely to be admitted to hospital due to infectious diseases than the least deprived.
l Those living in the North-West are 30% more likely to be hospitalised for an infectious disease (3,600 per 100,000 admissions for Sept 23-Aug 24), compared to the England average (2,800 per 100,000).
l Areas of high levels of deprivation typically experience higher levels of air pollution than less deprived and less ethnically diverse areas.
l The scale of inequalities between ethnic groups varies by specific disease. For example, emergency admission rates for tuberculosis were 29 times higher for ‘Asian other ‘, 27 times higher for ‘Indian’ and 15 times higher for ‘Black African’, compared to ‘White British’.
l As well as the costs to the social, physical and mental health of our communities, it was estimated that inequalities in emergency infectious disease hospital admissions cost the NHS between £970 million and £1.5 billion in 2022-23.
People living in deprived communities also experience higher emergency hospital admission rates, compared to the least deprived communities; the data show these are: l Twice as high for respiratory diseases in general and up to seven times higher specifically for tuberculosis and six times higher for measles.
l Twice as high for invasive infections in general, and up to 2.5 times higher specifically for sepsis l 1.7 times higher for gastrointestinal diseases
People from more deprived areas are also disproportionately impacted by radiation, chemical, climate and environmental hazards through their exposure, direct impact on their health, and the exacerbation of existing health conditions . Dr. Leonora Weil, Deputy Director for Health
Equity and Inclusion at UKHSA said: “The report reveals some stark facts on the state of inequalities in health security faced by some
people, in particular those living in the most deprived communities and certain areas of the country, some ethnic groups, as well as excluded groups such as those experiencing homelessness. “These health protection inequalities - where
there are poorer health outcomes based on where you live, your socio-economic status or ethnicity are avoidable, pervasive, and preventable. That is why it is so important to shine a light on these findings to increase action to support communities to live longer and in better health. “Going forward our data and analysis of the
evidence will help us, and our partners, apply a health equity lens to all our health security work, and to inform how we better target effective health services and wider interventions to those most at need. “This report is just the start. We need to build on these insights, as only through persistent and dedicated effort across all health organisations will we make a real difference to helping all people live longer and in better health.” The UKHSA’s approach to reducing health inequalities in health protection involves: l Building an understanding of the people and places that experience these inequalities.
l Taking a ‘people and place’ approach, working with local and national systems to support integrated, tailored and accessible interventions that better meet the needs of different communities and groups.
l Working in partnership across national and local government, the NHS, the voluntary, faith and charity sector and communities themselves.
l Equipping the UKHSA workforce with the capacity and capability to address inequalities in health protection in everything we do.
Endometriosis pill could benefit more than 1,000 women a year
A new daily pill for endometriosis has been approved for use on the NHS and could help over a thousand women in England, every year, manage the symptoms of the debilitating condition. The once-a-day pill, linzagolix, will soon be available for NHS patients in England who have had previous treatment for endometriosis, following approval by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). It will be used to manage symptoms of endometriosis and will be available to NHS patients across England in coming months. It is the second take-at-home treatment to be approved to treat endometriosis, after relugolix
combination therapy – the first long-term pill licensed to treat the condition – was approved for NHS use in March. Around 1.5 million women in the UK are living with endometriosis, which can cause chronic pain, heavy
periods, and extreme tiredness when tissue similar to the womb lining grows elsewhere in the body. Linzagolix will be available specifically for patients whose previous medical or surgical treatments for endometriosis have been unsuccessful. It will be given alongside ‘add-back’ hormone therapy which involves using low-dose hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to prevent menopause-like symptoms and bone loss. It is estimated that more than 1,000 women a year will benefit from the new treatment. In clinical trials, linzagolix was shown to reduce painful periods and non-menstrual pelvic pain, compared with placebo.
June 2025 I
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