Fake news is harming effort to tackle virus
What’s highlighted now, more than ever, is the importance of experts in seeing us through.
It seems so long ago that a confident Michael Gove once said that “people have had enough of experts”, because what they were saying didn’t suit his political agenda.
The toxic ignorance of experts in pockets of recent political culture has given rise to figures such as the current occupant of the White House in the US.
Indeed “Vote Leave, Take Back Control” and “Make America Great Again” are two movements, promoted by politicians, that not only completely ignored what the experts of the day were saying, but actively attempted to belittle them.
Add in modern communication technology and we have a potent mix, giving rise to conspiracy theory politics and the rejection of reason and rational argument.
It’s my view that
Scotland can be the voice of leadership on this in working with friends and neighbours, establishing rationality and compassion in the world.
The last week of April saw the UN’s World Immunisation Week.
The desperate search for a Covid-19 vaccine has reminded us just how important immunisation is.
But even this isn’t itself immune from conspiracy theories that defy reason or rational argument. Last week, Dr Elisa Granato was forced to share a video online, proving that rumours of her death following a Covid-19 vaccine trial were untrue.
But scare stories about vaccines have put people off seeking immunisation before.
Indeed, the UK has recently seen a rise in the number of cases of mumps, an infection that causes pain and swelling. It can bring about complications and, in rare cases, it can be fatal. Yet it is one that is entirely avoidable through vaccination.
It’s worth remembering that vaccinations are the most cost effective way of efficiently saving lives from a variety of diseases across the globe. But inequality across the world means that today, the number of children who are not protected by the vaccines that they need stands at around 20 million. UNICEF have been involved in vaccinating around half of the world’s children, yet roughly 13 million remain completely unvaccinated. These are appalling numbers; statistics that we should all feel encouraged to want to see changed.
I was pleased to see that the World Immunisation Week’s theme this year is #VaccinesWorkforAll, and how the people who develop, deliver and receive them are all heroes by working to protect the health of everyone.
Last week, I wrote to the Foreign Secretary to back the vaccination campaign, encouraging the UK government to support Gavi, the international vaccine alliance. Let’s stop 1.5 million children dying from diseases that are entirely preventable through vaccine.
I therefore welcome the subsequent financial support to this program the UK government announced - £330 million per year.
Gavi has committed to immunising 300 million children over the next five years. Work on this scale will go a long way in completely eradicating some diseases.
Gavi is also leading the global repose to the coronavirus, working to fast-track a Covid-19 vaccine and taking urgent action to ensure the poorest countries in the world have access to it when it becomes available.
Because no country exists in splendid isolation on these matters; we are all interconnected.
The reality that we really are all in this together hits home amid a global pandemic.
Scotland in the world can be that voice of reason and I hope the UK government continues to heed our call.