https://archive.md/GnXOE
"In the late 1970s and early ‘80s, a mysterious illness spread through
America’s overlooked communities, mainly affecting intravenous drug users and
homosexual men.
The disease, which caused a sudden and devastating collapse of the immune
system, was unlike anything doctors had seen before. Patients arrived at
hospitals with rare infections like Kaposi’s sarcoma and fungal pneumonia.
But despite the rising number of cases, public health officials remained silent
for years. Few Americans saw it as a national emergency, especially since the
disease seemed confined to society’s fringes, at least initially.
By the time the government and public fully grasped the threat in
1986—following Dr. C. Everett Koop’s “Surgeon General’s Report on AIDS”—tens of
thousands of Americans had already died.
Looking back on this and other public health crises, it’s clear that medical
science alone isn’t enough to save lives. To prevent similar tragedies, public
health leaders and elected officials must first understand the role denial
plays in people’s perception of medical threats. They must then develop
effective strategies to overcome it."
Via Violet Blue’s
Pandemic Roundup: September 19, 2024
https://www.patreon.com/posts/pandemic-roundup-112344925
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
