Doctor calls anti-science movement as ‘big a threat’ as coronavirus
Professor Peter Hotez, a US paediatrician and infectious diseases expert, says misinformation has already cost tens of thousands of lives and more needs to be done to tackle it
A US paediatrician has called for tougher measures against COVID-19 conspiracists, saying a growing ‘anti-science’ movement is becoming a bigger threat than the coronavirus itself.
Professor Peter Hotez, a Texas vaccine and infectious disease expert, says disinformation campaigns of “unprecedented magnitude” have already cost tens of thousands of lives during the pandemic.
In the US the government refused to promote face masks, social distancing and other evidence-based safety measures, he argues in PLoS Biology.
And while the scientific community had hoped COVID-19 would diminish the growing anti-vaccination movement, the opposite occurred, as activities added protests against medical freedoms to their anti-vax stance.
