Violence is an infectious disease, with Gary Slutkin, M.D., founder and CEO of Cure Violence Global

in conversation with Simon Kuper   

Does violence spread like an infectious disease? Is the US now potentially at the start of a dangerous new epidemic of violence? What is the role of the police? What's the new way to stop violence?

Gary Slutkin is a physician and epidemiologist who switched from working to control infectious diseases in Africa and Asia to treating violence as an infectious disease in the US and abroad. In the first part of his career, he led efforts to combat epidemics of tuberculosis, cholera and AIDS, worked in over 25 countries around the world, consulted on SARS and Ebola, and was the Director of Intervention for the World Health Organization. Now he leads the NGO Cure Violence Global. By treating violence as a contagious disease, its work has helped lower violence in more than 20 cities in the U.S. including New York, Baltimore and Chicago, as well as in 15 countries in Latin America and the Middle East. Slutkin is also advising governments on best responses to Covid-19.

Simon Kuper is a columnist for the Financial Times.