Chronic Viral Infections and Health Inequalities: From Molecular Epidemiology to Equitable Prevention

Chronic viral infections, including HPV, HIV, viral hepatitis, and herpesviruses, affect over a billion people worldwide and are responsible for millions of cancers, liver diseases, and immunodeficiency-related deaths each year. Despite the availability of effective vaccines, antivirals, and screening programs, these infections continue to disproportionately burden marginalized populations, revealing persistent and widening health inequalities.The reasons are manifold: structural barriers to healthcare access, stigma, poverty, limited health literacy, and systematic neglect in public health prioritization. Furthermore, the molecular evolution of these viruses and their interactions in co-infections (e.g., HPV–HIV) further complicate prevention and treatment efforts.While emerging infectious diseases often capture global attention and funding, chronic viral infections remain in the shadows, perpetuating a cycle of disadvantage among the most vulnerable communities. Understanding the complex interaction between viral biology, social determinants of health, and health systems is essential for developing equitable and effective public health strategies.This Research Topic aims to address a critical and persistent gap in global public health: the relative neglect of chronic viral infections, particularly HPV, HIV, viral hepatitis, and herpesviruses, despite their substantial and inequitable burden on marginalized populations.The intersection between viral pathogenesis, social determinants of health, and healthcare access remains underexplored, limiting the development of effective and equitable public health responses. Rather than referring to the broader concept of “health system performance,” we specifically focus on access to health services and the structural barriers that impede it, as these are central to understanding and addressing disparities in chronic viral infection outcomes.To address this problem, this Research Topic will bring together virologists, molecular epidemiologists, clinicians, public health researchers, and social scientists to:Clarify the molecular and phylogenetic patterns of chronic viral transmission in disadvantaged populations.Document and analyze health disparities in access to prevention and care for chronic viral infections.Evaluate innovative, community-engaging interventions to improve equity in chronic viral infection prevention and treatment.Propose evidence-based policy recommendations for sustainable change in chronic viral infection control.The ultimate goal is to generate a comprehensive, interdisciplinary body of evidence that can inform more equitable public health strategies and elevate chronic viral infections among global health priorities.We invite submissions addressing, but not limited to, the following topics, all of which must explicitly focus on chronic viral infections (HPV, HIV, viral hepatitis, herpesviruses, or related pathogens):• Molecular epidemiology, phylogenetics, and evolutionary dynamics of chronic viral infections in disadvantaged populations• Co-infections and syndemic interactions involving chronic viral infections (e.g., HPV–HIV, HIV–hepatitis, EBV in immunocompromised hosts)• Social determinants of health and structural barriers to healthcare access for chronic viral infections• Disparities in vaccination coverage for chronic viral infections and innovative strategies to reach vulnerable communities• Stigma, discrimination, and their impact on prevention behaviors and treatment-seeking for chronic viral infections• Implementation science approaches to improve equity in prevention programs for chronic viral infections• Health literacy, community engagement, and culturally appropriate interventions for chronic viral infections• Health system strengthening and evidence-based policy recommendations to improve access to chronic viral infection servicesWe welcome a wide range of manuscript types that reflect the multifaceted nature of this field, including original research, systematic reviews, reviews, mini-reviews, methods articles, hypotheses and theory papers, clinical trials, reviews of policies and practices, technology and code, perspectives, community case studies, curricular education and pedagogy, policy briefs, short research reports, conceptual analyses, data reports, general comments, and opinions.Interdisciplinary contributions linking virology, epidemiology, social sciences, and public health policy are particularly encouraged, as are studies from low- and middle-income countries and research focused on historically marginalized communities. Topic editors: Francesco Branda, Fabio Scarpa, Giancarlo Ceccarelli, Massimo Ciccozzi, Mohamed Mustaf Ahmed Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/79132/chronic-viral-infections-and-health-inequalities-from-molecular-epidemiology-to-equitable-prevention