Editorial Opinion

Conspiracy theories as people die

When in the 80s HIV/AIDS was first announced as a disease that has no cure and was transmitted sexually, some notable voices in the western world pointed in the direction of Africa, Uganda precisely, as the source. They said some species of African primates ‎were the origin of the disease. Brickbats were thrown. Some asked that if the disease was sexually transmitted, and originated from primates in Africa, then couldn’t it be conclusive that white tourists with unusual sexual appetites had been molesting African monkeys and thereafter spread the disease among humans. One of the conspiracy theories was that the disease was a laboratory creation designed to wipe out Africans. That theory exists till today.

There are already too many conspiracy theories about COVID-19. The first one is that the guilty strain of the coronavirus that causes the disease is a biological warfare agent that was created by Chinese scientists, launched ‎in Wuhan and contained, then exported all over the world with the aim of knocking the United States of America, USA, to the ground and control population growth in Africa. President Donald Trump calls it the Chinese Virus. Some others accuse the USA of creating the virus.

Other people accuse the developed nations of the world of exporting a scam and argue that people die of normal respiratory and other illnesses which are hurriedly classified as COVID-19 deaths.

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While it is easy to dismiss all the conspiracy theories, certain things need to be done to allay the fears of the public. The first is to allow doubting doctors, especially forensic experts, expert in epidemic medicine and pathologists to conduct post mortems on corpses of COVID-19 victims, to ascertain actual causes of death, apart from the obvious upper respiratory complications. As one expert recently posited, post mortems by several experts will expose the true causes of death because a virus should not cause death. There is also a belief that the position of scientists from the west, that there is a protein cover on the coronavirus is a hoax especially since a protein strain is a sign of life. As far as they are concerned, a virus is not a living thing as such cannot mutate as the world is being made to believe. This same argument was presented against the human immunodeficiency virus, HIV.

Africa is already battling with several painful deaths from malaria, Lassa fever, maternal mortality, low life expectancy, the now receding Ebola virus and poverty and hunger. Impoverished and battered, Africa must stand on its feet to occupy a position of global strength.

The reality we have to face is that when people begin to die in hordes everyone should be justifiably worried. Manpower, productivity, economic growth and global development are being affected drastically. The poor countries in Africa and Asia, will probably be worst hit when this over. The world should save humanity first even as conspiracy theories make the rounds.  

About the author

Ihesiulo Grace

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