By Bakou Sophie, Ntomari Eleni
In this day and age, infectious diseases are increasing exponentially, thus affecting both human lives and the social economy immensely, which can be convicted by the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Although the spreading of such diseases has indisputably significant concerns, there are also valid advantages about it. In this essay, both aspects of the issue will be examined.
First of all, an immense benefit ensuring from the massive spreading of a contagious disease is herd immunity. This means that a large proportion of the general population, after ailing with this illness, acquires antibodies, becoming consequently less vulnerable to being infected with that specific strain in the future. Furthermore, the constant spreading of a disease could work as an incentive for the pharmacological industries to promptly develop both new treatments aimed at curing the cases and vaccination to prevent further contagion of the disease. As a result, the international community would vastly benefit from the aforementioned, as not only would potential cures for the specific diseases be discovered, but it also opens the way for further medical breakthroughs through vaccinations and innovations.
On the other hand, there are several reasons behind the scepticism about the issue. First of all, the spreading of a disease inevitably leads to people’s suffering or even their death, especially to the delicate ones, such as the old or people which chronic diseases. Moreover, even if a patient does not die, an infectious disease can cause long-lasting sequelae, which may afflict people for the rest of their lives, rendering them more prone to further illnesses.
In addition, apart from suffering and death, infectious diseases result also in severe economic implications. More specifically, a prodigious amount of money is required in such cases, which includes the general financial pressure provoked upon the governments to aid the health system, as well as the scientific research for vaccinations and potential treatments.
Talking the aforementioned into consideration, we firmly believe that the negative effects caused by the spreading of a contagious disease outweigh the positive ones, as human lives should be prioritized above each and every possible scientific breakthrough. Therefore, measures should be taken in order to prevent the further contagion of the disease, but always in accordance with the financial security of society.
Resources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8513385/
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document/EPRS_BRI(2020)646195
https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/59/suppl_2/S85/544513
https://austinpublishinggroup.com/public-health-epidemiology/fulltext/ajphe-v9-id1134.pdf
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