Pandemic denialism and anti-vaccine groups are reviving diseases that have already been eliminated, warns infectious disease specialist from UFRJ.

247 - Infectious disease specialist and full professor at the Faculty of Medicine of UFRJ, Roberto Medronho, analyzed in interview on TV 247 Bolsonaro's policy of herd immunity during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the doctor, the delay in administering vaccines and the denialist discourse were responsible for the increased skepticism in science and the consequent significant reduction in the number of vaccinated people in the country.

Medronho, who coordinated the Multidisciplinary Working Group for Addressing the Covid-19 Pandemic at UFRJ, compared the natural evolution of common viruses with the spread of the coronavirus, a wild virus, highlighting the negligence in managing that crisis: “It is a situation never seen before in the history of our health, not even during the Dictatorship. Science was above all else, this time we saw denialism, a lack of empathy.”

Furthermore, the epidemiologist highlighted the racial and class disparity of those most affected by the deliberate infection policy: "In addition to the biological determinants of the virus's interaction with the host, we have social variables, and these were fundamental in ensuring that the largest number of people from the Black and poor population were the most affected, not only by the infectious process but also, and fundamentally, by the deaths. So, if there is one face of this pandemic, it is fundamentally Black and poor."

Aside from the challenges of dealing with the after-effects of the virus infection and a political landscape utterly marked by the disastrous governance of Jair Bolsonaro (2018-2022), the professor emphasizes the need to balance the anxiety generated during that period with the return to social activities: “It is essential that we return to our activities. It is essential that we do our physical activities. It is essential that we also take care of our mental health because that is quality of life.”  

Medronho notes that the gradual easing of isolation measures is recommended by scientific authorities in Brazil, who are monitoring the variants and the progress of vaccination: "we are thoroughly examining this virus and the trend is that with vaccination we will indeed have fewer and fewer deaths and fewer severe cases."

Therefore, the epidemiologist warns that vaccines, regardless of any side effects they may have, are fundamental to controlling the pathogen, and that many deaths throughout the pandemic could have been avoided if there had been no dissemination of false or confusing information. "Today, our country's vaccination coverage is very low, at very serious levels, and we may see diseases that we had already controlled and even eliminated returning to the public health landscape because of the anti-vaccine movements.  

The epidemiologist reminds us that vaccination is a collective act of protection and warns that the greater the vaccination coverage, the greater the individual safety for returning to and maintaining our daily activities and mental health. On this point, the doctor notes that social media has been a key environment for the spread of panic and hate, and in this sense, he agrees with the actions proposed by the Federal Government to regulate social media: “There needs to be government control to reduce this. It has an almost transmissible aspect. The social network and the person who made the hate speech must be held accountable.” Watch the video below.

Currently, Roberto Medronho is a candidate for rector of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro for the term that runs from July 2023 to July 2027. He heads the ticket “UFRJ for All: Autonomy, Inclusion and Innovation”, number 10, which has Professor Cássia Turci as the candidate for vice-rector.