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https://theconversation.com/fake-cures-and-vaccine-passports-for-sale-the-conspiracy-communities-in-brazil-monetising-the-anti-vax-movement-podcast-255142>
"Few places on earth are immune to the explosion of anti-vaccination conspiracy
theories and health disinformation fuelled by the COVID pandemic. But in
countries like Brazil, where the disinformation flowed from the very top of
government, the problem is even more acute and some people are exploiting the
fear of others to make money.
In this episode of
The Conversation Weekly, we hear about new research out of
Brazil into how peddlers of disinformation on social media also sell fake cures
and vaccine detoxes. And we ask why some people are looking for solutions to
their health problems in these dangerous chemicals and unproven protocols.
Brazil used to be a country with a strong culture of vaccination. “It was like
a ritual”, remembers Igor Sacramento, a researcher in public health at the
Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Brazil. As a child, he would go to public squares
where people would be dressed in costumes, parading, alongside the vaccination
drives.
Now, anti-vax disinformation has surged in the country. Sacramento believes the
big change was the election of Jair Bolsonaro in 2018, a president who publicly
questioned vaccinations. “It was terrible for public health”, he says. Research
showed that during the pandemic there was a persistent “Bolsonaro effect” with
higher death rates from COVID in pro-Bolsonaro municipalities.
Vaccination rates for a number of different diseases have fallen in Brazil in
recent years, although they are beginning to climb again since the election of
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for a third term as president in 2023."
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
