摘要：Racial/ethnic minority populations experience worse health outcomes than do other groups during and after disasters. Evidence for a differential impact from pandemic influenza includes both higher rates of underlying health conditions in minority populations, increasing their risk of influenza-related complications, and larger socioeconomic (e.g., access to health care), cultural, educational, and linguistic barriers to adoption of pandemic interventions. Implementation of pandemic interventions could be optimized by (1) culturally competent preparedness and response that address specific needs of racial/ethnic minority populations, (2) improvements in public health and community health safety net systems, (3) social policies that minimize economic burdens and improve compliance with isolation and quarantine, and (4) relevant, practical, and culturally and linguistically tailored communications. AN INFLUENZA PANDEMIC poses a major threat to the health of US and world populations. 1 The national pandemic influenza strategy and implementation plans are designed to stop or slow pandemic virus transmission and mitigate the impact on the US population and critical infrastructure. 2 – 4 Essential elements of the pandemic strategy and plans as outlined in this issue by Santibañez et al. 4 need full community participation to achieve success. These elements include early detection of cases, rapid antiviral treatment and isolation of patients, antiviral prophylaxis and voluntary quarantine of patient contacts, and social distancing. Racial/ethnic minority populations may have less capacity to implement these essential pandemic influenza interventions and to tolerate a pandemic because of broad disparities in underlying health status and social factors, such as socioeconomic disadvantages; cultural, educational, and linguistic barriers; and lack of access to and use of health care. 5 – 7 An influenza pandemic could have a disproportionate effect on the health of more than 102 million members of racial/ethnic minorities in the United States. 8 Furthermore, if the needs of these populations are not successfully addressed through engagement of their communities in planning, response, and deployment of adequate resources, the national strategy could fail for all, and the entire US population could fail to realize the benefit of timely pandemic prevention and control measures. We reviewed epidemiological evidence related to the potential differential effect of an influenza pandemic on racial/ethnic minority populations, the potential economic impact of a pandemic on these populations, and implications and opportunities for influenza vaccination. We also report here on a meeting of stakeholders, convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on May 1 and 2, 2008. Participants discussed barriers to recommended pandemic influenza interventions in racial/ethnic minority communities and suggested ways to fully implement them. Our focus is on African American; Asian, Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islander; and Latino populations. Protection of American Indian and Alaska Native populations from pandemic influenza is described in a separate article in this issue. 9
