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Brian Mowrey's avatar

Polio is indeed a Hygiene Hypothesis poster child, though the post-'44 surge still begs for an accomplice (DDT is a popular theory but there may have been multiple factors at play).

"Contaminated" water is obviously an oversimplification. I wonder what Zhang imagines humans used to drink before sanitization was invented (besides alcohol, of course)? Just like with air, urbanization creates conditions (pollution and concentrated anaerobic sewage) that are hostile to more temperate bacteria and select for pathogenic bacteria in general, so Germ Theory / Sanitation Theory get to sweep in and look brilliant and convince mentally ill germaphobes like Zhang that nature=death.

I agree that only disaster can result from trying to banish the cold from the world. The elderly might gain a few months past winter. The young will lose lifelong health.

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Gummi Bear's avatar

Great piece, I've been saying this for a while

Lockdowns are paradoxically counterproductive for the reasons you've stated here

Lockdowns after vaccination is nonsensical because you actually want the virus to travel among the vaccinated population before the immunity wanes

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