Re: https://www.hifa.org/dgroups-rss/update-publications-and-events-related-...
Dear Henry Perry,
Thank you for your message where you quote from an article by Former CDC Director William Foege (How public health can fight back in a time of dangerous nonsense) on the consequences of the Trump Administration's public health policy.
Your quote: 'We will live through this drought of values, principles and facts and again apply our talents to improving global health and happiness. Do not back down.'
Foege's next sentence reads: 'Kennedy’s words can be as lethal as the smallpox virus. Americans deserve better.'
I am reminded of Dr Tedros statement early in the COVID-19 pandemic: 'We’re not just fighting an epidemic; we’re fighting an infodemic. Fake news spreads faster and more easily than this virus, and is just as dangerous.'
https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/munich-security-con...
Foerge notes: 'One would think Kennedy’s track record of nonsense would win no followers, yet there are people willing to accept drivel from those in positions of authority. Kennedy would be less hazardous if he decided to do cardiac surgery. Then he would kill people only one at a time rather than his current ability to kill by the thousands.'
We have mentioned several times on HIFA about the anomaly whereby politicians can ignore the science and implement policies that are likely to leead to loss of life. Some years ago HIFA and the New York Law School demonstrated that governments have a legal obligation to ensure their populations have access to the reliable healthcare information they need. It follows that wilful misinformation by policymakers is potentially criminal, but there appears to be no legal mechanism to address this and such politicians continue with impunity.
Best wishes, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org