Overcrowded places increase risk of communicable diseases

Currently, our attention is mainly focused on the global Coronavirus pandemic, the protection methods and protocols we must follow to avoid the massive spread of the virus, which is highly contagious through human contact.

One of the main recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) is social distancing. With this, the WHO refers to avoiding overcrowded places, as it could increase the risk of contagion and worsen the massive outbreak of COVID-19.

However, common viruses such as the influenza or flu are also highly contagious through human contact and it is advisable to avoid overcrowded places to protect health and prevent mass spread.

Immigrant workers often live in overcrowded housing

A recent study conducted by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) reveals that 14.3% of immigrant workers live in crowded houses, which increases the risk of contagion of communicable diseases.

The study shows that immigrants are regularly part of sectors that are quite important to the American market, and are four times more likely to live in overcrowded housing than native-born workers.

Adding to that, it is important to emphasize that CIS states that foreigners represent 46% of workers who live in overcrowded places and work in areas that are essential to overcome the current crisis.

They typically work in sectors such as production, the US food supply chain (farming, packaging, preparation), transportation, healthcare, inter alia.

According to the results of the study, immigrant workers often live in overcrowded and urban areas because they normally hold low-wage jobs. In addition to that, many of them support for their families abroad and must send a substantial part of their wages to help their relatives, instead of investing in quality of life in the US, which explains why they tend to live in overcrowded housing.

However, the study also shows that immigrant workers who earn more than $10/hour tend to seek better housing conditions in less crowded places. For instance, only 6% of foreign workers who earn at least $35/hour live in overcrowded places.

Study conclusions

One of the main conclusions of the study is that “Immigrants account for nearly half of workers living in overcrowded conditions, but only about 17 percent of all workers. This is a concern because research shows that overcrowding can facilitate the spread of communicable diseases, including some new research on Covid-19.”

Therefore, one of the solutions proposed by CIS is to increase wages. In this way, foreign workforce would not be less expensive and would not affect American workers. Apart from that, it would allow immigrant workers to have a better quality of life in the US and live in less overcrowded housing to avoid the massive spread of viruses.

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