“You are wrong.”
“That didn’t happen.”
“When will you learn the truth!”
Those simple declarative statements in the proper context can be quite on point. Maybe the discussion has revolved around a subject for which the evidence is irrefutable. Maybe the party being addressed has a cynical approach to any information and is not receptive to hearing new facts. But the most corrosive scenario of all is when the party being addressed is just plain guilty of denialism – denying the truth (an accumulation of facts) and spreading the false narrative of misinformation (untrue information spread without malicious intent) and disinformation (untrue information spread with malicious or deceptive intent).
I have been particularly concerned about denialism over the last 4 years. Being on the front lines during COVID (seeing patients while donning personal protective equipment), being a leader of the SC pediatric society speaking out on behalf of children and pediatric providers, and finally being an ordinary citizen (with underlying health conditions) fearful of catching a potentially deadly virus, I have seen a rising mistrust of health care drastically affect how health care providers can protect others. Some specifics –
- During COVID, too many non-public health officials felt compelled to make proclamations about the low risk of COVID and undermine the efforts to contain the pandemic. Denialists chose to ignore the makeshift morgues in some cities and put susceptible people at risk. Nobody relished the difficult times and restrictions, but most accepted the changes for the public good.
- The malignant skepticism over the COVID restrictions and subsequent vaccine spilled over into denying the safety and profound protection that other vaccines provide to our population. Even a small percentage of those that listen to and the shy away from the advice of pediatricians and their tools to protect the children put all children at risk. Once so-called herd immunity is less than a critical level, everyone is at risk. It only takes some loud and uninformed naysayers to put others, especially those that might be extra vulnerable (the kind of patients that I often saw), in a position of enhanced susceptibility.
- When I took off my medical professional hat, I was worried about the effect of denialism on my own health. For others to just say that their personal choice of denying the utility of professional care during COVID is their right and doesn’t affect other people is a selfish view of our role as citizen. Our role is to care for and care about others. Sometimes that means accepting the expertise of those that know, not just saying that I know what is best without any basis in fact.
During the early years of the fight to find a treatment for AIDS (caused by the HIV virus), some outspoken voices denied the cause-and-effect of the HIV virus and subsequent AIDS.1 Too often, the press contributed to the impact of denialism by giving the cynics too much credibility. When they attempt to give equal time to those pursuing a false narrative, folks that do not understand the difference are likely to believe that there are just differing opinions that are equally valid. Eventually, Dr. Fauci and those fighting the valiant AIDS epidemic fight were able to present evidence for the convincing connection between HIV and AIDS.
Unfortunately, collateral damage occurred outside of the US. The government of South Africa (South Africa was a hotbed of infection and disease) picked up the denialist claims and chose not to provide proper proven therapy and opted instead to promote herbal therapies. It is estimated that those missteps between the years 2000 and 2005 led to more than 330,000 deaths and 35,000 infant HIV infections. Both of these were avoidable and demonstrate the corrosive effect of denialism when it is unimpeded.
Dr. Fauci, in his book On Call: A Doctor’s Journey in Public Health, provides further evidence for the negative effects of denialism in the war on bioterrorism after 9/11, subsequent viral outbreaks (like Ebola and Zika), and then during COVID. The cumulative effects of all of these deniers (anti-vaxxers and the like) is to harm the effects of those that have spent their careers in science and public service. These dedicated professionals recognize that science is not perfect but far better than flagrant denialism and its pernicious effect on our society.
I am most concerned about the effect of denialism on our pediatric population. Kids cannot vote and are at the mercy of the adults in our society. When those “in charge” deny the negative effects of so many factors or the lack of positive effects of so many factors in the lives of children, we have done our children a disservice that might linger for generations to come. For example,
- We deny the impact of poverty. It is a highly corrosive influence on the lives of children and their families, affecting housing, hunger, health care, transportation, climate change, environment, education, legal representation and voting.2, 3
- Too many people deny the importance of science.4 Those denials affect children disproportionately.
- The denial of lack of serious interventions to regulate guns is numbing.5,6 It is a public health crisis that largely goes unaddressed.
- The denial of the lingering effects of racism is very serious in my eyes.7-12 It is unconscionable for these effects to still be present and denied to the point of even discouraging ways eliminate them (with the elimination of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives).
- It was too easy to deny the effects of COVID on children since they were less likely to have serious disease.13 Yet those that did suffered serious illness and too many children lost caregivers (parents or grandparents). Both of these problems have long term effects on the care and nurturing of our children. Just note the chart below to see the number of pediatric hospitalizations during the pandemic. Children were impacted in all regions of the country yet some regions (especially the South) chose to follow guidelines with less than recommended adherence.
- Denialism was most malicious in Flint Michigan when the effect of lead went unconfirmed too long.14 The tenacious advocacy of Dr. Mona Hannah-Attisha finally led to the acknowledgment of this toxin and its horrible effects on developing children.
Peak of 6500 per week in winter 2022
I could come up with more examples but let me close with a strong condemnation of denialism. There are not alternate facts, only the truth. The truth can lead to tremendous advances in public health (as noted by Dr. Fauci) and tremendous advances in the care of our children. Denying the plight of others and ignoring ways to help them is so corrosive to the fabric of our society. We can do so much better. We cannot let up on the repudiation of denialism.
- Fauci A. On Call: A Doctor’s Journey in Public Service. Viking; 2024. 464 pp.
- https://mychildrenschildren.com/the-injustices-of-poverty/
- https://mychildrenschildren.com/the-toxin-of-poverty-and-children-a-way-out/
- https://mychildrenschildren.com/i-embrace-science-you-should-also/
- https://mychildrenschildren.com/guns-lets-do-something/
- https://mychildrenschildren.com/heart-break-continues/
- https://mychildrenschildren.com/birmingham-al-1963-children-at-play/
- https://mychildrenschildren.com/racial-inequity-it-cannot-be-whitewashed/
- https://mychildrenschildren.com/remember-redlining/
- https://mychildrenschildren.com/caste-a-purposeful-system-of-exclusion-part-i/
- https://mychildrenschildren.com/caste-inaction-is-action-part-ii/
- https://mychildrenschildren.com/caste-what-now-part-iii/
- “Most pediatric COVID-19 hospitalizations among children under 5”; AAP News (aapnews.org) July 2024, page 17
- https://mychildrenschildren.com/a-pediatric-profile-in-courage/