"The global health community that, in the past, prioritised HIV/Aids, TB and the big child killer, malaria, appears to consider avoidable deaths from such illnesses an acceptable cost in their attempt to reduce transmission of SARS-COV-2." @bell00david 1/n newsafrica.net/sections/inter…
"In a new form of post-colonial oppression, the rich world, via video meetings on Zoom, have introduced policies that are leading to impoverishment in Africa." @bell00david
2/n
"And given the very low impact of Covid-19 on younger people, and thus on the vast majority of Africans, one has to question why a vaccine for Covid-19 should take precedent over investment in mosquito nets for malaria, for instance." @bell00david 3/n
"if the benefit to Africans can be shown to outweigh the costs.
But clearly, if this is not demonstrated, then the equity argument behind COVAX and the universal Covid-19 vaccination programme becomes unsustainable." @bell00david 4/4
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Definitions matter. @WHO defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
Is "COMPLETE" health a realistic expectation?
Does it lead to irrealistic strategies like #ZeroCovid?
1/n
Aiming for 'COMPLETE' has its own ills.
1)"medicalisation of society"=>MASS testing
"New screening technologies detect abnormalities at levels that might never cause illness and pharmaceutical companies produce drugs for “conditions” not previously defined as health problems."3/n
What is Health?
Is the current situation conducive to health?
Do you feel healthy now?
“Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” - @WHO
1/n
Health is not an endpoint in itself, rather a state of existence that facilitates a full and meaningful life.
By being healthy, one can self-actualise and play one's role in society. Life is not about being alive, it's about living and enjoying a good quality of life. 2/n
Physical health involves 1) genetics 2) lifestyle (nutrition and physical activity) 3) access to quality healthcare 4) avoiding hazardous environments 5) avoiding high-risk behaviours (drinking and driving, drugs, unprotected sex) 3/n medicalnewstoday.com/articles/15099…
“Many who were angered by our original points about lockdown, now own up to agreeing with them, but have dug up other reasons for carrying on being angry with us.” @PanData19 citizen.co.za
“We would encourage our critics to see each of the individual members of @PanData19 as real people, exercising a basic democratic right, and we believe that if they do those things, they will start to see some of the problems with the current approach to dealing with this virus.”
“Like you, we were struggling with the stresses of an uncertain professional environment and having to learn to become teachers to our children. We burned the candle at both ends and as @PanData19 grew so did the reputational risk of being involved.”
The best analysis of the C19 pandemic mass hysteria.
"[H]ow different political institutions and the state affect the development and extension of mass hysteria[?]"
"the size of the state exacerbates the negative consequences of mass hysteria" 1/n mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/4…
"mass hysteria can lead to policy mistakes that have tragic public health consequences."
"the welfare state of the 21st century combined with a sensationalist mass media is likely to increase the havoc created by mass hysteria" 2/n
"In a mass hysteria, people of a group start to believe that they might be exposed to something dangerous, such as a virus...They believe a threat to be real because someone says so ...Due to the threatening delusion, a large group of people gets collectively very upset" 3/n
#KBF
"The advice was stay home if you’re sick, wash your hands, protect the vulnerable, most people will have a mild illness, wearing face masks is “usually quite a bad idea“, & “big gatherings don’t have a big effect so we don’t want to disrupt people’s lives.” 2/n
"1) Organisations invested in vaccines make money from vaccines. If people acquire natural immunity, they have reduced or no need for a vaccine and thus the potential gain for the vaccine company is reduced." 3/n