Pandemic realism as the indispensable political precondition for global disease eradication

F M Galassi; F D Pate; W You; A Gurr; T Lucas; N Antunes-Ferreira; E Varotto; M E Habicht

doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2022.08.016

Pandemic realism as the indispensable political precondition for global disease eradication

Public Health. 2022 Nov:212:55-57. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2022.08.016. Epub 2022 Oct 7.

Authors

F M Galassi¹, F D Pate², W You³, A Gurr³, T Lucas², N Antunes-Ferreira⁴, E Varotto⁵, M E Habicht⁶

Affiliations

¹ Archaeology, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia; FAPAB Research Center, Avola (SR), Sicily, Italy.
² Archaeology, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
³ Adelaide Medical School, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
⁴ Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar Egas Moniz, Instituto Universitário Egas Moniz, Monte da Caparica, Portugal; Laboratório de Ciências Forenses e Psicológicas Egas Moniz, Egas Moniz Cooperativa de Ensino Superior, Monte da Caparica, Portugal.
⁵ Archaeology, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia; FAPAB Research Center, Avola (SR), Sicily, Italy; Department of Humanities (DISUM), University of Catania, Catania, Sicily, Italy.
⁶ Archaeology, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia; FAPAB Research Center, Avola (SR), Sicily, Italy. Electronic address: michael.habicht@flinders.edu.au.

PMID: 36215929
DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2022.08.016

Abstract

This article examines the politico-scientific mechanism, which leads nations to declare an epidemic or a pandemic finished, irrespective of the actual epidemiological situation at a given time. A historical comparison is made with the famous behavior of Emperor Justinian I (482-565 CE) during the plague pandemic named after him (part of the first plague pandemic). Finally, a reference to the importance of the multidisciplinary study of the history of medicine and the intersection between pandemics and wars is made.

Keywords: COVID-19; Disease eradication; Government; Justinianic plague; Pandemics; Politics.

MeSH terms

Disease Eradication
Humans
Male
Pandemics / prevention & control
Plague* / epidemiology
Plague* / prevention & control