LAUSR

In their article in this issue of AJE, Kubale et al. (Am J Epidemiol. XXXX;XXX(XX):XXXX-XXXX) articulate in detail the mechanisms connecting high-level 'fundamental social causes' of health inequity to inequitable infectious disease outcomes including infection, severe disease, and death. In this response, we argue that while intensive focus on intervening mechanisms is welcome and necessary, it cannot occur in isolation from examination of the way that fundamental social causes - including racism, socioeconomic inequity, and social stigma -sustain infection inequities even when intervening mechanisms are addressed. We build on the taxonomy of intervening mechanisms laid out by Kubale et al. to create a roadmap for strengthening the connection between fundamental cause theory and infectious disease epidemiology and discuss its implications for future research and intervention.