“A clash of Science, Opinion, Conspiracy and possible paranoia” writes Professor Mulindi Mwanahamuntu
‘A Healthy People, Build a Wealthy Nation’ Doctor’s Corner with Professor Mulindi Mwanahamuntu
Wuhan in China was under severe lockdown because of a common cold virus that was killing too many people when compared to other similar common cold viruses.
The world watched, passing its opinion backed by early science and statistical figures that were emanating from China.
In China itself, the alleged government’s opinion to muzzle the disease had its biggest ridicule when an ophthalmology doctor who first released the scare through his observation of unusual deaths died of the very Covid-19 received tweets of heroism.
Government then became a true ally of science and lead a ferocious fight that has by most measure, extinguished local disease spread.
By the 5th of February the disease hit close to home in South Africa. Locally here in Zambia, colossal frenzy of opinion ensued, like the gassing of people before it, followed notable political lines.
Without science whatsoever. By the 18th of February when the first case hit borders of Zambia, specialists now congregated around the Minister of health to sieve whatever science mankind had absorbed thus far and give it to the masses.
These specialists like the W.H.O which was their main source of information begun to give conflicting information primarily because the body of knowledge and science was evolving.
For example, from handwashing, slowly hand sanitizer was infused in the message. Then the debate on face masks, to wear or not to wear had winners and losers.
A genuine conundrum that infact led to diminished government and WHO credibility has now begun to expose many governments to conspiracy theorists.
The first social media generated hysteria is on vaccine, that the smarter world is on the verge of a vaccine breakthrough nearly ready to test it on Africans that until yesterday only had a total of 23 covid 19 deaths as opposed to 50,000 deaths in European backyards where the vaccine is being cooked.
This is tragic considering that mankind still must have sufficient trust in vaccines as vaccines still have unfinished business in keeping at bay such ailments as polio, measles, rabies, tetanus etcetera.
I have omitted the quarrel on the disease origin where a President nearly renamed it Wuhan Virus. Had it not been for nonpartisan journalists, a rare safety valve in African democracies, that virus would have had a new name that day.
But the greatest conspiracy theory is not all these. The major theory is now G5 wireless! This is serious as social media has it that some countries set alight many masts that stream this type of internet.
The evolution of such a theory, complete with the science of human tissue and radio-magnetic interface plus testimony of a man who was ostensibly recruited to be the mass murderer is worth watching. The manner it is explained in a short video sent to me by a friend leaves few grounds to shoot down such a conspiracy theory until you hear religious taste in it.
For now, it is best to talk less on it lest we veer into opinion diatribe. Until science defends or rectify these things, it is conceivable that the remnants of covid 19, when its over will shift into paranoia.
