Letter

In response to The next pandemic is 'an epidemiological certainty'

Two world health threats

Julian Cribb’s professional and prescient article shows we have two serious problems. There is the well-founded threat of lethal pathogens and also the threat from the militant, irrational groups opposed to immunisation and masks.

Lately we have seen the power and rage of a resentful minority, seriously uninformed, igniting the fuse of fear and pushing an aggressive barrow. It is to be hoped there is sufficient potent research into these groups to enable myth and terror management, rather than attacking them head-on and empowering the work of the fearmongers thus granting them more potency as they will claim to be “victims of the state”.

Firmly held prejudice is not dissolved by rational argument. It requires much more inquiry into motivations, distrust and understanding socio-economic factors.

— Michael Breen from Robertson NSW