India: the double disaster
May. 5th, 2021 10:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nairiporterhttps://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-56913047
More than 300,000 new infections have been registered in India daily for nearly two weeks now, with a total of nearly 20 million infected. However, experts believe that the actual number may be 5-10 times higher than official statistics show.
The authorities were surprised by the powerful new Covid wave in India and are facing enormous difficulties in obtaining the most necessary resources - intensive hospital beds, oxygen for breathing, medicines. Not to mention that India does not yet have any effective strategy to combat the pandemic.
The task is further complicated by the many conspiracy theories, fake news and unreliable information that is being spread mainly on the social networks. There is a wide variety of assumptions and claims about the causes of the new wave in India, as well as suspicions against vaccines, and all kinds of prescriptions for home treatment are being circulated.
All these false health claims are multiplying and becoming more and more dangerous. False claims and fake news based on religious grounds are also a factor - this is a dangerous mix in the conditions of a massive second wave, when the country is also trying to vaccinate as many people as possible.
According to many observers and activists, the authorities are not doing nearly enough to counter the spreading of fake news. Moreover, high-ranking government officials and public figures are personally involved in their dissemination.
In mid-April, as the number of Covid cases rose sharply, senior government official VK Paul, who is at the forefront of the pandemic fight, advised people to seek help from alternative medicine specialists if they have mild symptoms. He claimed that in order to improve their immunity, people had to consume a local food supplement and a certain mixture of herbs and spices.
These statements drew sharp criticism from medics, who warned that people should not be encouraged to try untested therapies and delay medical treatment for too long. Indeed, these are shocking delusions that have the dangerous effect of prompting people to stay home and drink useless potions, and when they finally go to the hospital, it is already too late.
When authorities encourage such course of action, they actively undermine the authority of science.
Experts believe that three factors leading to the rapid spread of fake news are people's distrust to news in the mainstream media, the weak influence of public media and the fragmentation of the public, which is increasingly relying on the social networks. Interest in the social networks in India has grown tremendously as of late, especially after the national lockdown imposed last year. Currently, the WhatsApp platform alone has 500 million users in India and has become the main channel for spreading false claims related to the pandemic.
The rise of the social media is essentially exacerbating the fake news crisis. Countless gullible people believe in all sorts of myths and legends that are spreading even faster than the powerful second wave of the pandemic. And just when you need to vaccinate as many people as possible, all sorts of rumours about the side effects of vaccines are spreading around the social networks. There are lies that vaccines are dangerous for people with pre-existing conditions like diabetes and hypertonicity, as well as all women in general. It is also alleged that fake respirators are being used in hospitals.
All sorts of self-proclaimed experts recommend inhalations with steam from clean water, the consumption of garlic, cinnamon and licorice as Covid prevention, even as treatment medicine against the virus. Another very popular "theory" is particularly dangerous: that Indians have better immunity against the Coronavirus than other nations. This claim started from a very superficial interpretation, in fact misinterpretation really of a genetic study conducted among different ethnic groups.
In fact, there is no scientific evidence to support this absurd claim. And it must be actively refuted at all costs so that Indians can understand that they do not have any genetic protection against the virus. Most fake news is usually being spread as text, video and photos with explanations in local languages. And it would require tremendous effort to counter all of it - but this is a must.
The problem is, even if the avalanche of mounting false information does get refuted, it would still continue to reproduce in cyberspace, and many people will continue to believe it.
More than 300,000 new infections have been registered in India daily for nearly two weeks now, with a total of nearly 20 million infected. However, experts believe that the actual number may be 5-10 times higher than official statistics show.
The authorities were surprised by the powerful new Covid wave in India and are facing enormous difficulties in obtaining the most necessary resources - intensive hospital beds, oxygen for breathing, medicines. Not to mention that India does not yet have any effective strategy to combat the pandemic.
The task is further complicated by the many conspiracy theories, fake news and unreliable information that is being spread mainly on the social networks. There is a wide variety of assumptions and claims about the causes of the new wave in India, as well as suspicions against vaccines, and all kinds of prescriptions for home treatment are being circulated.
All these false health claims are multiplying and becoming more and more dangerous. False claims and fake news based on religious grounds are also a factor - this is a dangerous mix in the conditions of a massive second wave, when the country is also trying to vaccinate as many people as possible.
According to many observers and activists, the authorities are not doing nearly enough to counter the spreading of fake news. Moreover, high-ranking government officials and public figures are personally involved in their dissemination.
In mid-April, as the number of Covid cases rose sharply, senior government official VK Paul, who is at the forefront of the pandemic fight, advised people to seek help from alternative medicine specialists if they have mild symptoms. He claimed that in order to improve their immunity, people had to consume a local food supplement and a certain mixture of herbs and spices.
These statements drew sharp criticism from medics, who warned that people should not be encouraged to try untested therapies and delay medical treatment for too long. Indeed, these are shocking delusions that have the dangerous effect of prompting people to stay home and drink useless potions, and when they finally go to the hospital, it is already too late.
When authorities encourage such course of action, they actively undermine the authority of science.
Experts believe that three factors leading to the rapid spread of fake news are people's distrust to news in the mainstream media, the weak influence of public media and the fragmentation of the public, which is increasingly relying on the social networks. Interest in the social networks in India has grown tremendously as of late, especially after the national lockdown imposed last year. Currently, the WhatsApp platform alone has 500 million users in India and has become the main channel for spreading false claims related to the pandemic.
The rise of the social media is essentially exacerbating the fake news crisis. Countless gullible people believe in all sorts of myths and legends that are spreading even faster than the powerful second wave of the pandemic. And just when you need to vaccinate as many people as possible, all sorts of rumours about the side effects of vaccines are spreading around the social networks. There are lies that vaccines are dangerous for people with pre-existing conditions like diabetes and hypertonicity, as well as all women in general. It is also alleged that fake respirators are being used in hospitals.
All sorts of self-proclaimed experts recommend inhalations with steam from clean water, the consumption of garlic, cinnamon and licorice as Covid prevention, even as treatment medicine against the virus. Another very popular "theory" is particularly dangerous: that Indians have better immunity against the Coronavirus than other nations. This claim started from a very superficial interpretation, in fact misinterpretation really of a genetic study conducted among different ethnic groups.
In fact, there is no scientific evidence to support this absurd claim. And it must be actively refuted at all costs so that Indians can understand that they do not have any genetic protection against the virus. Most fake news is usually being spread as text, video and photos with explanations in local languages. And it would require tremendous effort to counter all of it - but this is a must.
The problem is, even if the avalanche of mounting false information does get refuted, it would still continue to reproduce in cyberspace, and many people will continue to believe it.
