Originally published at: Malaria back in Florida and Texas | Boing Boing
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Based on past reactions Abbott and DeSantis had to warnings from the CDC, this is probably gonna get worse. Hopefully, folks in TX and FL will take steps to keep themselves safe, no matter what misinformation comes out from TPTB.
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PSA:
A Gin and Tonic Does Not Prevent Malaria
Now regarded as a mixer more than a medicinal brew, tonic simply no longer contains the same amount of the malaria-curbing component, quinine, that it once did.
This means that drinking a gin and tonic made with modern tonic water does not prevent malaria. Neither does drinking just the tonic water or a bunch of gin (Gin Raiders)
Doesn’t mean one can’t try.
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Hmmm… Texas and Florida. Two states known for their rapid and intelligent approaches to wide spread diseases.
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Sigh another sign of history not so much repeating itself, but rhyming instead.
As the Wuhan coronavirus continues to rage across the world, Max Brooks, the author of “World War Z” has written an op-ed pointing out the numerous similarities between his novel and the way in which China’s repressive system facilitated the spread of the disease.
In an op-ed released by The Washington Post on Saturday (Feb. 28), Brooks wrote that “World War Z” predicted that China’s authoritarian system was ripe grounds for the spread of a zombie plague. Brooks stated that he chose China because of its vast size, rapidly expanding transportation network, and its instinctual desire to cover up any form of negative news, giving “my plague time to spread.”
Brooks was highly prescient in thinking that because of the coverup, the outside world would be blissfully unaware of the impending disaster. He wrote that by the time other countries realized what was going on, it would be too late, and “Our species would be fighting for its life.”
Authoritarians have a well known habit of covering up shit and attempts at down playing public health crises. Heck I remember watching Trump in a press conference downplaying covid that spring before the lockdown and like halfway through it I rushed down to the store to buy hand sanitizer because I knew he was full of shit lol.
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Another reminder that the more intense effects of the climate emergency in America are going to come for the southern states first. Voters there who value their health and homes are advised to elect better (i.e. non-GOP) politicians who aren’t inclined to wallow in denial, conspiracism, and anti-intellectualism.
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So, is this attributable to climate change or bad public health policy, both of which are likely candidates for Texas and/or Florida.
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Changes in temperature, humidity, rainfall, and other climatic conditions have an impact on important factors that dictate the transmission of malaria, such as the lifespan of the mosquito and the development of malaria parasites in the insect…
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Great, just as America is fully primed to react to any public health measures as part of a secret campaign to inject people with Bill Gates’ mind-control chips.
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A) Climate change
B) For-profit healthcare
C) Retrograde human rights laws
D) Erosion of modern education
E) Gun proliferation
F) White supremacist terrorism
G) All of the above
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At least there is a Bill Gates funded malaria vaccine that has just come into use. Oh, wait…
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Where can I sign up for my dose?
-Sent from my Windows™ SmartPhone.
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Back during the reign of Shrub the Second, the GQP went ballistic when the US Navy published a study on the negative impacts of climate change, with the conclusion calling for addressing it aggressively.
Among the findings:
- Rising seas will result in harbors and dry docks becoming unserviceable, requiring expensive construction further in-land
- Increased conflicts and more need for the US military to “protect” US interests abroad
- Reintroduction of Malaria to the continental US (as well as other tropical diseases, such as dengue fever)
That last one really stood out to me: at the time I was traveling to several African countries for work, and Malarone was on my list of meds to take.
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My understanding is that DDT was excellent at controlling mosquitoes, but is now less so, just as antibiotics from the 1950s are not all quite so deadly to bacteria as they once were. You know, natural selection and life finding a way and all.
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What Brooks missed though, and what all such predictions missed, is that information wasn’t enough.
People were drowning in correct information about COVID from the moment it was detected. The problem was that a quarter of the population chose willful ignorance and conspiracy theories over science. THAT is why we didn’t control it in time. Not because China tried to cover it up.
The countries that did well mostly did so because governments enforced lockdowns and vaccination requirements. BC for example, achieved over 90% vaccination rates very early by requiring shots to go into bars and restaurants. Exactly the kind of action that deniers considered “authoritarian”.
Fiction authors (and people in general) overestimate the ability of governments to cover things up (the information always gets out) and way underestimate people’s willingness to do the wrong thing in the face of correct information.
Public health requires a certain amount of fairly strong government action, whether we like it or not. Until we get people to be more rational (not likely any time soon) government has to step in for the public good.
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Unless the government decides to undo the very systems put into place to combat pandemics. The physical and economic damage caused by Covid can be laid at Trump’s feet. Between dismantling the rapid reaction program instituted during the Obama administration (in response to the threat of Ebola), and making compliance with best practices for control of an infectious disease a politically based “choose your own adventure” game, it became far worse than it should have been.
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