Disease, Disinformation, and Hysteria
Written by Taylor Shea Carroll
Illustrated by Maisie Nievera
“We all fear what we do not understand.” - Dan Brown
In a few short months, the world will watch as a global pandemic celebrates its second birthday. Two long years have been defined by a virus that is 90 times smaller than a grain of sand, yet capable of completely uprooting the lives of every individual on Earth. The coronavirus has aroused fear in many people as an inevitable reaction to the unknown. It’s easy to feel helpless when you’ve never seen a disease create this much impact, but is COVID-19 truly as unprecedented as we’d like to think?
In the early 1950s, many towns began closing local swimming pools and meeting places in response to a sickness sweeping the United States. Poliomyelitis (Polio) is a highly contagious disease, the symptoms of which most resemble the common cold. But for some, the disease progresses to the brain and spinal cord, leading to the development of meningitis and complete paralysis. Polio brought with it a complete hysteria. People, desperate to find the source of what was threatening their children and wellbeing, pointed fingers at dirt, those in poverty, and most commonly, mosquitos. Communities began to spread the toxic chemical DDT in hopes that it would slow the spread of the disease, instead exposing themselves to carcinogens. Eventually, researchers found that polio is spread through contact with the infected, usually through feces, poor handwashing, and other viral means of spread. It wasn’t until American virologist Jonas Salk developed the polio vaccine in 1955 that the United States could finally breathe a sigh of relief over the mysterious, misunderstood disease.
In the 1980s, the country was again met with an invisible enemy. Early reports of a disease mainly affecting gay men began to develop. The cases were connected in that they resulted in severely compromised immune systems with no explainable cause. Initially, the disease was named GRID (Gay-Related Immune Deficiency) and concern was mainly limited to those in the gay community. Soon, it gained a broader association with the LGBTQ community, intravenous drug users, immigrants, and racial minorities, all stigmatized identities that led to mass disinformation and discrimination, so the government did little to act. Moreover, a diagnosis would most certainly mean imminent death. AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is caused by the retrovirus HIV, which attacks the immune system until the body eventually succumbs to its weakened state. By 1994, AIDS became the leading cause of death for all Americans aged 25-44.
Through research and activism, immense progress has been made regarding AIDS and its treatment. Eventually, scientists learned that HIV is transmitted via unprotected sexual intercourse, needle-sharing, blood transfusions, and pregnancy. Many fought the stigma surrounding the disease, including American teenager Ryan White, who contracted AIDS through donated blood. He sought to destigmatize the disease in his local community after being denied entrance to his school, and he ultimately reached the entire country with his message. Eventually, forced to face the threat of the disease, the George H.W. Bush administration created the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act, allocating over $220 million in federal funds in its first year. Treatment options for AIDS now exist in the form of antiretroviral therapy, and early cases of cured individuals are currently making headlines.
The confusion and speculation that surrounded Polio and AIDS were repeated in the cases of SARS, Ebola, H1N1, Zika, and countless other infectious diseases. Disease is not new, nor are pandemics and the mass hysteria and disinformation that often surround them. In these moments, it’s important to remember that fear should not elicit hysteria, and the most powerful tool against both is scientific education. We fear what we do not understand, so let’s seek to understand a little more, and fear a little less.