Mbeki’s decision was considered so damaging that scientists and physicians worldwide signed the Durban Declaration, reiterating that HIV indeed causes AIDS and urging Mbeki to reconsider his decision. This decision resulted in the deaths of over 330,000 people from HIV/AIDS between 20. But his erroneous claim still reached the then president of the Republic of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, who banned the use of lifesaving antiretrovirals in public hospitals. AIDS denialist Peter Duesberg was one person who disseminated this misinformation, which had been refuted by the scientific community at large. Likewise, some denied the role of the HIV virus in AIDS infection. Misinformation is just one common theme between the COVID-19 and HIV/AIDS pandemics. Instead, they promote the idea that pathogens don’t cause disease, but rather are a consequence of it. In general, these groups tend to also deny germ theory, claiming that infectious diseases are not caused by pathogens like viruses and bacteria. Others do not contest the existence of COVID-19, but ignore the severe consequences of infection. There are abundant claims on social media that the virus that causes COVID-19 has never been isolated, or it is insufficiently characterized. There are people who deny the existence of COVID-19. Denying the existence of a virus or a pandemic However, there are striking parallels between the HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 pandemics that show the dire consequences disinformation can have on both patients and society as a whole. In the 40 years since the emergence of AIDS, society has learned how to cope with the disease with more effective diagnostics, treatments and preventive strategies, transforming AIDS from a lethal condition to a chronic disease. The COVID-19 infodemic became such a problem that the Royal Society and the British Academy released an October 2020 report noting its significant impact on vaccine deployment, endorsing legislation that prosecutes those who spread misinformation.Īs a researcher who studies HIV and lived through the AIDS pandemic, I felt a sense of déjà vu as COVID-19 disinformation spread. Infodemics can affect economies, politics, national security and public health. The problem of misinformation has been so widespread that it has its own word: “ infodemic,” a portmanteau of “information” and “epidemic.” Coined by journalist David Rothkopf during the 2003 SARS outbreak, it describes a situation where “a few facts, mixed with fear, speculation and rumor, are amplified and relayed swiftly worldwide by modern information technologies.” The COVID-19 infodemic began as soon as the first few cases of infections were confirmed. Similarly in Romania, disinformation is a contributing factor to the country’s disastrous fourth wave of COVID-19. In the U.S., for example, viewership of a Fox News program that downplayed the pandemic is associated with increased COVID-19 cases and deaths. Data shows that regions and countries where disinformation thrived experienced more lethal pandemic waves despite vaccine availability. What sets the COVID-19 pandemic apart, however, is the sheer magnitude of damaging disinformation put in circulation around the world. It fueled the 19th century smallpox anti-vaccine movements through some of the same arguments as those currently used against the COVID-19 vaccine. Misinformation altered how people trusted their governments and doctors during the 1918 influenza pandemic. Social media may have made the amount, variety and speed of misinformation seem unprecedented, but COVID-19 isn’t the first pandemic where false and harmful information has set back public health. They then spread the word, vaccines save lives.Īkarasis Maksas, Vaccine Outreach Team, Congo Ministry of Health (through translator): Pastors need to care not just about the spiritual health of their community, but also about the general well-being of their community.Īnd for kids, with regards to vaccines, they need to find an environment that is favorable to their well-being.Since health officials confirmed the first COVID-19 cases, misinformation has spread just as quickly as the virus. Children's Fund and Ministry of Health campaign, the leaders from many of these parishes in Kinshasa get a VIP behind-the-scenes tour and see for themselves the high-tech infrastructure required to refrigerate and store the country's stock of vaccines. And those churches are sometimes hot spots of vaccine hesitancy.Īs part of a U.N. Community leaders are often brought here to learn about vaccines and the influence of disinformation.ĭRC is home to huge revivalist Christian ministries. This vaccine storage facility on the outskirts of Kinshasa is one of the largest in Africa, but it's not just a warehouse. And restoring trust, not just in the COVID-19 vaccine, but in all routine vaccinations, starts here at Kinshasa's central vaccine warehouse.
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