How vulnerable is your Raleigh neighborhood to an infectious disease outbreak?
Some of Wake County’s poorest neighborhoods are also the most vulnerable to an infectious disease outbreak like the coronavirus, according to data from the Centers for Disease and Control.
The CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index ranks how susceptible neighborhoods are to disasters, such as pandemics, storms or chemical exposures. The index ranks the neighborhoods on 15 factors from health and income to housing and education.
The results paint a stark picture for Wake’s poorest areas, which already struggle with higher rates of poverty, unemployment, single parents and uninsured people.
These most vulnerable neighborhoods are south and east of downtown and follow Knightdale Boulevard. In many instances, these areas are 10 times more vulnerable to an emergency such as the coronavirus than other, more affluent parts of the county.
According to the CDC, vulnerable communities should receive special attention from public health officials and local planners. The organization said the index should be used to:
▪ Allocate emergency preparedness funding
▪ Estimate where personnel and supplies will be needed the most
▪ Identify communities that will need additional support to recover from an emergency
