Hankyoreh
“When people hear the story of’If you live in a ditch, you don’t get plague’, you might have asked’Where’s the nearby ditch’ instead of asking’What is the scientific basis?’” Jennifer Wright, author of The Thirteen Plagues That Changed World History, described the social atmosphere during the outbreak of the plague (Black Death) that terrorized the Middle Ages.
■ When fear, not disease, dominates us
In the Middle Ages, where the exact cause of the infectious disease was not known as it is now, some forces that took advantage of the fear of disease, lack of scientific knowledge, and public fear came up with ridiculous treatments. Many of the extreme treatments were based on religious passion. Many of the public wanted the plague to pass by carving a cross on the door, which was a very gentle treatment. It is said that after the 14th century, in the Netherlands there were many people who sought forgiveness from God while whipping themselves. It is said that she walked around naked while whipping herself until the blood flowed from her whole body. Even this was a treatment that did not harm others. Some insane religious people have spread the rumor that Jews wander around the wells in pestilence. In February 1349, in Strasbourg, Germany (now Strasbourg, France), as many as 900 Jews were burned to death. In the same year, more than 20,000 people were slaughtered in Mainz alone, with 6,000 Jews killed a day. Pope Clemens VI issued an edict saying that those who hold Jews to blame for the plague in order to prevent anti-Semitic riots have fallen to the devil’s lies, and that the massacre must be stopped, but still some of the world’s citizens believe that the plague was spread by Jews. Exists.
Thewardros Adhanom Governor Yeosus, Secretary General of the World Health Organization (WHO). Geneva/AFP Yonhap News
■ Are we fighting diseases or fake news?
We call this phenomenon of the widespread community-wide spread of false causes and prescriptions of disease as infodemic after the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. It is a compound word of information and epidemic. The first term was coined by David J. Rothkopf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health. He’s doing infodemic “Some facts are mixed with fear, speculation, and rumors, spreading rapidly around the world using modern information technology, threatening the international economy, politics, and even security.”And defined it. During the outbreak of plague in the Middle Ages, false rumors based on human horror prevailed because the cause of the disease was unknown, but even today, where the cause of the disease (virus) and the sequence are defined,’lie’ is still a fearful existence. It must be. The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Secretary General Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus, also met with security experts in Munich, Germany in mid-February, when Corona 19 was spreading around the world to discuss fake news related to Corona 19. “It spreads faster and more easily than the Corona 19 virus. We are not just fighting epidemics, we are fighting infodemics.”I emphasized it. WHO, who judged that in a health crisis situation such as the global infectious disease epidemic, this infodemic could neutralize the actions of the quarantine authorities and threaten human health. ‘Myth Busters’I formed a team called. This team is sharing information by creating a corner on the WHO homepage to share incorrect knowledge and accurate information on information about Corona 19.
Former President Donald Trump opens his arms with his wife Melania Trump as they leave the White House in Marine One. Washington/Reuters Yonhap News
■ Myth of hydroxychloroquine
There are about 30 superstitions that the WHO superstition destroyer refutes. “Eating’hydroxychloroquine’ (hereinafter referred to as chloroquine) is effective in preventing and treating Corona 19.”Is a claim. Regarding chloroquine, the WHO said, “We have studied the potential as a treatment for Corona 19 as a treatment for malaria, but recent data show that this drug has not been effective in reducing the mortality rate or alleviating symptoms in hospitalized Corona 19 patients. If you take it without the help of a medical staff, it can cause serious side effects, so be careful.” However, many people in Korea still believe that chloroquine is effective in treating COVID-19. Is it because the former US President Donald Trump, who was also infected with Corona 19 and was treated, called Chloroquin as a’Game Changer’ and called Chloroquin as a’Game Changer’? Of course, the ripple effect of having a person with great socio-political influence telling wrong information is great. And after that false claim Research that’seems to have scientific evidence’There were. There were also biological experiments related to the efficacy of chloroquine. An experimental paper published in Cell Research, the journal of cell research on February 4, 2020In the study, researchers argued that chloroquine prevents coronavirus from penetrating cells and causing disease. In Korea, there were many people who translated and shared the results of these thesis in Korean and argued that chloroquine could prevent and heal Corona 19. However, this was only a half-fold’conclusion’ that was confirmed with cells cultured in the laboratory and could not be applied equally to the human body. In China and France, for real patients Research that published clinical trial resultsThere was also. However, academics have pointed out that it is difficult to say that the poorly designed experiment yielded meaningful results. The researchers included 42 patients, of whom 26 were given chloroquine, which was a poor study with too few samples and poorly established control variables. ‘Retraction Watch’, a medium that monitors for errors or defects in scientific experiments and manuscript writing, collects and posts cases of retracted articles, said, “Retraction from the journal for research that does not meet the standards of international research organizations. We are reviewing what we do.” A study conducted in China also found that patients were prescribed chloroquine as well as other drugs, and it was not enough to prove accurate efficacy.
In Madrid, Spain, a rally participant is holding a hand sign with the slogan “Anti vaccine, anti 5G, anti mask”. AP Yonhap News
■ Superstitions that the superstition destroyer fights…
Let’s look at a few more superstitions that stand out and need to be destroyed?
“The fifth generation (G) mobile network can spread Corona 19.”
In Korea, relatively few people believed, but in places like the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, there were many people who believed that 5G Internet could actually spread Corona 19. They believed in the’conspiracy theory’ that 5G network facilities built in various places during the Corona 19 epidemic are to spread Corona 19. In some areas, there were also protests against the construction of 5G facilities. Regarding this, the WHO said, “Corona 19 can be infected only through droplets that come out when an infected patient coughs or speaks, or can be infected only when the mouth or face is touched with a hand touching an object contaminated with the droplet.” It does not spread through wireless networks, but the fact that infected patients are occurring even in countries without 5G Internet networks proves this.”
“Eating garlic can prevent Corona 19.”
In Korea, an oriental medical doctor and a pastor appeared in a YouTube video and claimed that the symptoms improved after boiling and drinking red pepper stems after being infected with Corona 19. . In fact, on internet blogs, how to boil red peppercorns and eat them were shared, and online sales outlets increased. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and experts said that there was no evidence that the red pedestal prevents Corona 19, but those infected with the infodemic did not believe. In the early days of the Corona 19 epidemic, fake news circulated that if you boiled garlic, not red pepper stems, you can prevent Corona 19. Even when the SARS epidemic around the world, it may be a natural consequence to remember that the explanation of’eating fermented food kimchi containing a lot of garlic’ gained convincing power from the public regarding the relatively small number of infected patients in Korea. Even in the Middle Ages, much earlier than that, when the Black Death circulated, there were many people who believed that’garlic prevents infection’. However, the WHO said, “Although garlic is good for health as an antibacterial food, there is no evidence that it protects us from the Corona 19 virus.”
“Corona 19 can be prevented and treated by drinking methanol (industrial alcohol) or bleach.”
Superstition destroyers have warned that this claim is particularly dangerous. WHO said, “Alcohol and bleach are used to kill viruses on the surface of the material, but they are highly toxic to the human body and can lead to disability or death if you drink. They do not have the effect of killing the virus in your body, and It can be destroyed.” More than 1 million confirmed cases and 60,000 deaths In Iran, between February 20 and April 6, 2020, 728 people died after drinking methanol and being exposed to alcohol toxicity. According to a report by the Iranian Health Department, 5011 people believed that methanol was effective in treating COVID-19 during the above period, and 90 of them lost their eyesight. In addition to the 5G network, garlic and methanol, superstitious destroyers pointed out that the efficacy of spicy peppers, the spread of COVID-19 by mosquitoes and house flies, and the prevention of COVID-19 by washing the nose with salt water, are ineffective. Although not covered by the WHO There was also a case in which a Korean church withdrew in an attempt to hand out a’corona charm (?)’.
World Health Organization (WHO) website capture.
■ Break the loop of infodemic diffusion
Risk communication expert Gesser Edelsburg said in this regard “In the real public realm and online, the influence of people like’netizens’ and’power bloggers’ on the public is by no means less than that of the world-renowned WHO.”Points out. Messages delivered through unofficial postings and messengers by people trusted by the public regarding health or disease exceed the influence of messages from quarantine agencies such as the WHO and KCDC. Regardless of the accuracy of the message. It would be best if social and politically influential people accurately convey medical and scientific facts, but in reality there are too many cases that are not so. The biggest harm of this infodemic is that it hinders public quarantine. In this regard, WHO proposes’breaking the informatics link’. “There is a vast amount of information that individuals encounter about Corona 19, but many of this information is wrong. We must identify the’superstition destroyer’ and make an effort not to contribute to re-proliferation when encountering misinformation.” It is the Lunar New Year holiday that meets family members who have been away for a long time and asks hello. Maybe you are not trying to spread the myth related to Corona 19, right? By Jae-ho Lee, staff reporter [email protected]