2/Also similar to the AIDS epidemic, there is asyptomatic spead & you cant tell who's infected. Likewise it was common that people made assumptions about who's safe to be with based on how they look & if they know them ("it can't be him, hes a great guy", "she looks ok").
3/ Lethal mistakes bc of assumptions & not u/standing transmission. Despite this, in the studies we at @WHO did on condom use in dozens of countries, #1 predictor of use was not of knowing someone who died, believing in lethality, or any info, but what they thought peers did.
4/ It was this finding that lead our work at the WHO/GPA (Global Programme on AIDS) to high intensity public education, peer based outreach, training of all sectors & ensuring condom accessibility.
5/ Accessability is not same as accessibility. It means it needs to be right there/then and easy. There are a lot of lessons from global AIDS cf US AIDS bc in other countries it became a widespread community level problem, rather than of a few important groups as in U.S.
6/ Another lesson I've been thinking about is how some countries gave up in despair in the late 80s/early 90s, while others (notably Uganda) committed & succeeded, despite many losses. Another lesson is behavior change is fast -> if you do it well and to sufficient intensity.
7/ Please recall there were no effective drugs for AIDS for almost 15 yrs, and no vaccine even today.
8/ Last lessons for now ->
All epidemics consist of multiple epidemics.
All epidemics are surrounded by misinformation & mischief
All epidemics can be managed with right strategy, management & commitment.
(Bars remind me of bath houses that we fought about whether to close.)
All epidemics consist of multiple epidemics.
All epidemics are surrounded by misinformation & mischief
All epidemics can be managed with right strategy, management & commitment.
(Bars remind me of bath houses that we fought about whether to close.)
9/ Some key points from >35 yrs fighting epidemics that apply now ->
1) time to commit/recommit to a goal of stopping the virus
2) keep the goal first
3) we have to actively push behavior change (all epidemics require this and nobody wants to do it)
1) time to commit/recommit to a goal of stopping the virus
2) keep the goal first
3) we have to actively push behavior change (all epidemics require this and nobody wants to do it)
10/
4) ie clear messaging to scale -> masks, distance, no crowds, no close contacts outside yr protected circle, handwash
5) avoid distractions, will be many
6) there are a lot of reasons we can still succeed despite losses to date.
More later. Thx
4) ie clear messaging to scale -> masks, distance, no crowds, no close contacts outside yr protected circle, handwash
5) avoid distractions, will be many
6) there are a lot of reasons we can still succeed despite losses to date.
More later. Thx
