A new book co-authored by physician-epidemiologist Sanjay Basu and political economist

David Stuckler claims that severe budget cutbacks and austerity programs have seriously compromised the health of citizens throughout Europe and America.

In the meticulously researched book, “The Body Economic: Why Austerity Kills,” due to come out next month, the authors examine the connection between economic crisis and health issues of populations. They claim that the recent severe austerity placed on governments has seriously hurt, and in some cases lead to the deaths of, thousands, if not millions of people.

David Stuckler explained that,

“Austerity is having a devastating effect on health in Europe and North America. The harms we have found include HIV and malaria outbreaks, shortages of essential medicines, lost healthcare access, and an avoidable epidemic of alcohol abuse, depression and suicide, among others.

“Our politicians need to take into account the serious, and in some cases profound, health consequences of economic choices. But so far, Europe’s leaders have been in denial of the evidence that austerity is costing lives.”