Parademic week ending 160828

#(160828)

1 Self Isolation; 2 Change in currency; 3 Triage - Too few resources; 4 Zika - Urban geography; 5 Frankenstein; 6 Invasive Species; 7 Diffusion - Propagation; 8 Apophonia; 9 Misdirected Effort; 10 Anthropology in Ebola

-1. Sick Animals Limit Disease Transmission by Isolating Themselves from Their Peers. When animals get sick, they may change their behaviour, becoming less active. Research in wild animals has generally ignored how this change in behaviour may affect social contacts in a group and how, in turn, these changes can impact the transmission of a disease. With the human animal this is termed social distancing. Medical isolation and quarantine are behaviors that are imposed by other humans. Behaviors such as going to work sick, self medication, centralizing sick and injured, eugenics, denying access to medical care and other needs; all argue that in “civilized” settings this not a human(e) behavior. There are however exceptions (160724-3↓) though in that particular setting the isolation may have been ordered and spun as an voluntary choice.

            -A. Self Isolation, in parademic terms, is the behavior of individuals and groups to protect themselves from contamination of the outside world. This is done with exclusive and exclusionary communities, organizations and clubs; sovereignty and successions movements that demand independence from the larger society they are part of; religious and ethnic/racial fanaticism; building social, economic, distance and physical barriers; stigmatization, shunning,  imprisoning, deportation, banishment, forced migration of the undesirables. If the group is powerful enough they can create reservations, exclusion zones, zone of abandonment 4↓  slums/favelas  160724-3.2A↓. A potential problem during a biodisaster as that self isolation will prevent access for containment and control; may hijack or raid resources meant for others; develop black markets; pass dangerous “laws”; and create situations where humanitarian intervention is necessary, sometimes with the use of force The Last Town on Earth, Journal of a Plague Year, 1918 Influenza Escape Communities. Humanitarian Imperatives are Transforming Sovereignty. ¶ One human behavior that is not displayed by any other animals is an ability to attribute health effect without cause. Science Officially Debunks Chemtrails, but the Conspiracy Will Likely Live on.

            -1.1. New Global Migration Mapping to Help Fight Against Infectious Diseases. Geographers have completed a large scale data and mapping project to track the flow of internal human migration in low and middle income countries. For the first time maps estimate internal migration in countries across three continents; Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean. Key Migration Terms.

            -1.2. An acquaintance of mine currently working in the Royal Hospital in Saudi Arabia has observed to me that the Saudi Elite, who are highly stratified and separated from the general population Saudi Arabia Diversity and Social Stratification, tend to leave the country (jet set [Photo]) during MERS outbreaks. Have not found any open source documentation of this but this would follow teachings of Islam The Reality of Contagious Diseases, though there is the smattering of the usual MERS Virus Conspiracy Theories. If one explores the Sub Index for: Science & Technology above the article one can see several examples of SLA (Sharpening - emphasis of certain points, Leveling - deemphasis of other points; and Assimilation to the Islamic world view) to justify behavior. ¶ Historically this was common practice by those who had the means to leave an area of contagion, such as the practice of going to one’s country estate or aborad to avoid the summer disease outbreaks in the cities and ports to avoid plague, sweating sickness, pox. The original meanings of resort and spa referred to places to go for the purpose of avoiding war (or being drafted for same), pestilence, famine and other death, which have come to mean places of healing and recreation.

            -1.3. The Rise and Fall of Middle Eastern Health Systems. Much of the progress in the Arab countries of the Middle East and North Africa in recent decades appears to have been reversed by the political unrest and civil wars afflicting the region. This reversal is especially visible in the health systems of Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen, which previously had been steadily improving. The Saudi Healthcare System: A View from the Minaret, Health Care System in Saudi Arabia: an Overview. My impression, not evidence but a mild degree of being informed, is that the Saudi health system is very fragile in an unstable environment. It is probably a good system, but with gaps, and could easily fall apart from disaster.

-2. ∩ Ramen Noodles Supplanting Cigarettes as Currency among Prisoners. Ramen noodles are supplanting the once popular cigarettes as a form of currency among state prisoners, but not in response to bans on tobacco products within prison systems. ¶ Inmates are trying to figure out ways to better feed themselves as certain prison services are being defunded. One can imagine in a biodisaster accepted currencies will no longer be of value (change in what is critical) resulting in parademic behaviors to replace lacking health care, health care that does not work, find access to health care or other now critical needs. During Ebola sex in exchange for support became prominent. There will also be hoarding of the now critical items, and taking measures to protect it, including payment in the goods of service for protection and loyalty. This can include clean water, alternative medicines, food, safe shelter, information, knowledge, maintenance, weapons, “muscle”, labor, payment in kind for something of equal value, and the ages old access to sex without the attendant long terms costs. The classic example of this was during the Black Death where the labor shortage changed serfs to wage earners. Why Prisons Continue to Grow, Even When Crime Declines, in a sense this is another form of forced isolation to avoid contamination and harm, except it apparently is having the opposite effect.

-3. Whose Lives Should be Saved. Researchers Ask the Public. In a church basement in a poor East Baltimore neighborhood, a Johns Hopkins doctor enlisted residents to help answer 1 of the most fraught questions in public health: When a surge of patients – from a disaster, disease outbreak or terrorist attack – overwhelms hospitals, how should you ration care. Whose lives should be saved 1^st. Choose who will survive, who will die, who can’t be saved, who can be saved if resources become available. Who Should Survive involves choices based or morals, pragmatic (most likely to live), service to society, procreation, special skills and knowledge, equitable (random), future or past value, leadership, cost vs benefit. [Chart]

↕4. Gov. Scott's Hits and Misses on Handling Zika. Hits: Spreading awareness, increasing testing and spraying, testing pregnant women, removing standing water, visited the affected areas, held roundtable discussions and put information and updates on the Florida Department of Health website, requested prevention kits and has committed $26 million. Misses: Blaming the federal government for not providing money [Cartoon] – not correct, CDC put forth nearly $8 million.  When Congress failed to act, funds dedicated for Ebola to address the spread of the Zika virus. Cut funding for mosquito control by 40 percent in 2011 and eliminated the mosquito lab. In 2012,  cut $1.1 million from a University of Florida research lab on how to prevent mosquito borne illnesses. Opposed accepting federal funding for Medicaid expansion, then oppossed Medicaid expansion for nearly 800,000 of Florida's working poor. Cut funding for county health departments by over $14 million, resulting in a 20% reduction in personnel. This is creating the conditions for the disaster, then looking for praise for response to that disaster [Cartoon, Photo, Cartoon, Cartoon]. CDC Awards $6.8 Million to Partners to Support Zika Response, Florida Governor Complains U.S. Not Doing Enough to Fight Zika. Gov. Scott: I’m Traveling to D.C. to Demand Urgent Action from Congress on Zika on September 6^th. From the calendar Congress is supposed to start to return Sept 7^th, with another break in October to November 11, giving about 3 weeks. Most of these meetings will be with individuals outside sessions of Congress. Keep an eye out for any meetings at the White House as that will indicate something may happen.

            -4.1. Florida Announces Zika Case Hundreds of Miles from Miami anywhere these mosquitoes are present is at risk. Note the not mentioning of imported cases overseas from Florida. How Big, Really, Is the Zika Outbreak in Florida. So far, health officials know of 37 confirmed cases of people who contracted Zika from mosquitoes in Miami. But computer models suggest the underlying outbreak in Miami is bigger — and spreading Non Travel Zika Cases Could Hit 400 by Summer's End. Miami Schools Take Steps to Protect Returning Students from Zika.

            -A. Miami-Dade County Stops Anti-Zika Aerial Pesticide Spraying on Weekdays, an iatrogenic to prevent Ziki virus causing neurological damage in fetuses Brain Damages Caused by Zika Virus Congenital Infection Go Beyond Microcephaly Zika Images Show 'Worst Brain Infections That Doctors Will Ever See', by using a larvicide that can cause neurological damage in fetuses Pesticide Sprayed Over Wynwood Is Banned in Europe, May Also Harm Fetuses. ¶  Much of the marketing and propaganda about babies in fear based, making them smarter, healthier, avoid accidental death. Could a Breathable Mattress Help Your Baby Avoid SIDS. The mattress companies certainly want you to think so, but they’re relying on fear, not science.

            -4.2. Louisiana: West Nile, Zika Concerns Heightened as Floodwaters Create Mosquito Breeding Grounds; Should We Abandon Louisiana. In some ways, we already have. If there is no media attention will any epidemic occur there. Sea Level Rise Research Summary (last update 4/2013) [Map]. Ignoring Louisiana or Disaster Fatigue, and with the South America, Olympics, Florida Zika we could have epidemic fatigue. ¶ Example of a self organized emergent solution which should be incorporated, not ignored or shut down, Cajun Navy Shines in Louisiana [Chart]. ¶ Texas Moves Slowly to Combat Growing Threat of Zika Virus, while the rest of gulf coast similarly lags behind spread of virus. US Pregnancy Related Deaths Are Rising and Have Doubled in Texas, but at least the fetus was not aborted.

            -A. Getting POTUS into a Disaster Area is Trickier than it Seems. Trump went to Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Sunday to tour the area devastated by floods. On Monday, Clinton said she wouldn't visit so that "the presence of a political campaign won't disrupt the response". And on Tuesday, President Obama arrived. The Politics of Presidential Visits to Disaster Areas, Why Americans Now Expect Their Presidents to Turn up after Natural Disasters. It is hard to imagine situations when a national leader would be permitted to be exposed to a infectious disease [Meme, Photo, Tweet, Video] Hugger in Chief.

            -4.3. Not unexpectedly any illness related to the Olympics is getting press. Runner Returns Sick from Rio, Being Tested for Zika, Sudha Singh Tests Positive for Swine Flue; No Zika Virus Infection for Indian Athlete. Olympic Sailor Falls Ill after Competing in Rio's Polluted Water. U.S. Rowers' Illness Highlights Questions over Rio Olympics Water Quality. Stay Alert for Zika Risk, Hongkongers Returning from Olympics Are Warned, Hong Kong Confirms First Case of Zika Virus which implies from Olympics but is not the case. Rio saw 1.17 million tourists during Olympics, Zero cases of Zika. Zika Safe Sex Reminder for Australians Returning from Rio Olympics* 4.4A↓. Guess How Many Zika Cases Showed up at the Olympics zero. A bit premature as an infected person can be asymptomatic but pass on via sexual contact 4.4A↓ Zika Found to Remain in Sperm for Record Six Months, or they may pass to a mosquito who passes it to someone else, and the incubation period is not clear so a two week wait is standard. ¶ Most of the related media humor is recycled from Ebola [Cartoon], about the Olympics [Cartoon], babies [Cartoon], congress [Cartoon], ya sea en Portuguese o Español [Cartoon]. Olympic Officials: ‘On the Whole, Only 4 or 5 Really Terrible Things Happened’.

            *A. Unsure if this is bragging or if this is a part of Australian culture to be very cautious about invasive species such as disease Isolation ‘Won’t Protect Australia from Ebola’, rabbits, Europeans 160522-4↓. Sex Olympics: Athletes Get Two Condoms and a Packet of Lube for Each Day of Rio Games.

            -B. How Does the Language of Headlines Work. The Answer May Surprise You. Consider the headline: a bunch of words carefully crafted to grab your attention when you least expect it… and then entice you to spread it far and wide, sometimes in spectacular viral fashion. And that’s just for starters. Before you even get to all the news that’s fit to print, the headline is already way ahead of you, with succinct and surprising spoilers—that can only really be understood if you click. By the time you read a headline, you may already have become incensed by provocative questions, been amused by puns and wordplay or have had your faith restored in humanity by viral clickbait. The problem is not the headline but that people do not read the whole article, and don’t fact check against other material.

            -4.4. With Congress Deadlocked, Clinton Proposes New Fund That Could Be Used for Zika Response by creating a special fund that would enable health officials to respond more quickly to similar episodes in the future. Republicans have accused the Democratic presidential nominee of trying to politicize the issue (say what [Meme]). This idea has been proposed before for decades, and implemented (to be defunded) to a small degree. Now it is an issue for the upcoming election.

            -A. Though undoubtedly there is a humanitarian reasons behind Planned Parenthood Joins Campaign to Rid Miami Neighborhoods of Zika – after all Zika can be sexually transmitted Study Hints at Greater Zika Sexual Transmission Threat to Fetuses, Men Can Spread Zika Virus Sexually Even If They Have No Symptoms 4.3↑– the political aspects of Congress must Set Aside Debate Around Planned Parenthood, No Longer Delay Funding for Zika Response were undoubtedly a consideration. [Cartoon]

            -4.5. Zika's Accidental Ally: Miami's Luxury High Rises. Low flying planes, urban wind tunnels, and imprecise applications raise the risk of mosquitoes developing resistance to insecticides. As Zika virus settles into Florida – there are now 43 cases in the state that aren't linked to travel, and two hot spots of transmission in Miami – health authorities fighting the disease are running up against unexpected difficulties. ¶ Miami Beach has a series of characteristics that make it particularly challenging. Aircraft that spray ultra low volumes of the pesticide fly very low, a hundred feet above the ground. They can't really do that around high rises. In addition, ultra low volume aerial spraying can only be done when there's not much wind so that it can be very directly targeted to where it's needed. ¶ Mosquito control programs rely on spraying insecticide from small aircraft when they want to cover large areas, often late at night, after daytime breezes settle down. But big buildings complicate the picture. They not only pose a physical barrier, but  taller buildings create convection currents and wind tunnels. That makes it  harder to get the insecticide to where it needs to Be. Impacts of Wildlife Diseases in Urban Environments. Cities Make Their Own Weather, Cities Can Create Their Own Weather Systems Based on Their Shape.

-5. The trope of Frankenstein's Monster is one that is encountered in many forms in parademic, from an underlying narrative (literature) about the risks of science Frankenfood or Monster Myth, accusation [Photo], GMO The Double Edged Metaphor of Frankenstein. Fear GMOs, but Fear Decisions Driven by the Angry Mob More [Poster], philosophy Is Frankenstein’s Monster a Zombie, Who’s the Real Monster. Frankenstein: Creation of Darkness the 200th anniversary of the writing of this historically influential work of literature. In the summer of 1816, at Cologny, Mary Shelley began her writing of Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, a mythic expression of the anxieties of a world confronted with the growing power of science and technology. Frankenstein - Analysis of Society, Legacy of Frankenstein: The Monster Is the One in the White Lab Coat, Frankenweenie, The Progeny of Frankenstein: The Mad Scientist and His Creature [Cartoon, Cartoon, Cartoon], 160821-7↓.

            -5.1. Researchers Find Roots of Modern Humane Treatment. Researchers have traced the roots of humane medical practices to a pioneering French physician who in 1919 treated people with deformities as humans instead of 'monsters,' as they were commonly called. [Photo Elephant Man]. This implies that being humane is less that 100 years; however, I suspect that medical practice prior to modern scientific medicine was humane, or at least was based more of social connection with the patient and humor.

-6. Invasive species are a topic in Parademic, and the most globally spread invasive species is Homo Sapien, who also spread other invasive species. Biological Invasions Threaten Developing Countries. Invasions from alien species such as Japanese knotweed and grey squirrels threaten the economies and livelihoods of residents of some of the world's poorest nations. Human Footprint Surprisingly Outpaced by Population and Economic Growth. The global impact of human activities on the natural environment is extensive, but those impacts are expanding at a slower rate than the rate of economic and population growth. New Map Shows Alarming Growth of the Human Footprint with 97% of the most species rich places on Earth have been seriously altered [Map]. Human Induced Climate Change Has Been Going on Longer than You Think.

-7. The Science of Diffusion and the Spread of Public Policy, applying network science and dynamical systems to understand how health policies spread. Most of us think of diffusion in the context of its scientific definition as the process whereby particles of liquids, gases or solids intermingle and in dissolved substances move from a region of higher to one of lower concentration. However, it also applies to the spread of policies between and among cultural, social and governmental systems. One is tempted to make nasty comparisons with epidemics of crime, propagation of misinformation and rumor, resistence to concepts that are beneficial; but this curator is above such commentary.

            -7.1. The More We Know, the Easier We Are to Deceive. Knowing a lot about a subject means you are more likely to have false memories about it. Good Medicine for Society’s Ills. If medical science cannot live up to its own gold standards of evidence, what hope for rational policymaking in general. Galileo's Middle Finger interesting and well written read on how to spin anti-vax as being science and activist based evidence. I believe this term can be classified as a oxymoron, Evidence Based Activism: Patients’ Organisations, Users’ and Activist’s Groups in Knowledge Society.

            -A. This is an example of giving into “public opinion” no matter how wrong, dangerous, and an astroturf (fake grassroots) movement, US Plan to Fend off Zika with Sterile Mosquitoes Faces Catch 22. A project to unleash genetically modified mosquitoes in Florida to stop Zika could backfire if it ignores public protest and goes ahead, says 160821-7.1↓. There is however the odd human logic that if GMO mosquitos are used and there is no Zika cases, then it was not needed after all, but other synchronicity may be applied to other ills that coincide is some way with GMO mosquitos.

-8. ∩ There is a human tendency to think that events leading to large consequences have large causes, Consequence/Cause Matching: How and Why People Look to the Consequences of Events to Infer the Causes of Events, consequence/cause matching arises from a need to see the world as predictable following causal schema. This is part of the basis for conspiracy theory that confirms a priori conclusions, creation of rumor in the absence of a credible explanation, and witch hunts/scapegoating  as some sort of evil magic is the only logical explanation. Mosquito’s and their “bite” are too small to cause massive disease, one needs cloudlike swarms of mosquitos viciously attacking people and inflicting thousands of bites to make that appear reasonable. The same applies to the still unknown causes of Autism, icecaps and glaciers melting caused by just a couple of more degrees of global temperature, disease caused by invisible germs, mass extinctions, evolution to human animals, insistence of following the pattern (plan, procedure, policy) despite evidence these are not working. Even dreaded events that have not happen are provided causes. This phenomena is usually referred to in parademic as apophenia and its similes [Cartoon]. This may also in part explain parademic humor ‘Joke's a Part’: In Defence of Humour,

-9. Zika Is Just the First Front in the 21^st Century Biowar. There are many national security challenges facing the US, but too often our focus is exclusively on threats from terrorism, geopolitics and cyberattacks. As the country confronts the arrival of the Zika virus and contemplates travel bans to Miami, it's time to have an adult conversation about the threats posed by biology. This misplacement of effort from natural outbreaks and biodisasters is another theme of Parademic. ¶ Calling Zika the first threat from of the 21^st century is incorrect: Ebola Outbreak a 'National Security Threat' with 'Low Margin for Error' (2014), Pandemics and National Security (2010), The National Security Implications of HIV/AIDS (2006), The Continuing Global Spread of Avian Influenza A (H5N1) and Its Implications for International Law (2005), The Global Infectious Disease Threat and Its Implications for the United States (2000), Trends in Infectious Disease Mortality in the United States During the 20^th Century (1999), Protecting Public Health in New York City: 200 Years of Leadership. Possibly the author of the headline wanted to give more relevance by being “new”, and that framing the threat as a national security threat makes it seem more important. In addition the biothreat is not a single disease but a combination of syndemic with other factors, and parademic.  

-10. The “Good-Enough Anthropologist”. From the moment Peter Piot*, the coˍdiscoverer of Ebola, remarked “Where are all the anthropologists”, the question of anthropology in Ebola took hold. We have to listen far better to what people think before we start putting in place measures. Involving social scientists in Ebola helped a lot. However; we don’t have the time to spend two years in a village to understand what people think, we need people who can do a snapshot and understand rapidly what’s going on.

            -*. I believe Dr Piot is unusually well versed in Medical Anthropology because of PhD Heidi Larson, who also works at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine where he also works, My Journey Back to Ebola Ground Zero.

            -A. Non-anthropological actors in Ebola would have preferred to see from anthropology during the recent outbreak provide cultural keys: quick and concise ethnographic soundbites that enable the architects and executioners of medical interventions to interpret resistance in the population. The ideology underlying keys is culturalism: the supposition that the pertinent explanation of an issue can be found among those who are the object of the action, not those who instigate it. This overdetermining the role of cultural factors, sweeps aside any conomic or political explanations of the phenomena examined, and psychological. This tendency to attribute health problems to cultural practices is politically convenient as it relieves governments, institutions, and politicians of their responsibilities, while it also identifies a clear target… the local population. Anthropologists have tended to shun the spread of cultural keys and culturalism, because shallow understandings of complex phenomena serve no one well, and the rise of Good Enough Ethnography: Reflections on Becoming a Medical Anthropologist.

            -B. This concept of “good-enough” comes from psychoanalysis, such as good enough mothering. Stripped to their conceptual bones, such terms refer to the ways in which the basic, ordinary, competent nurturance of an infant is generally sufficient to ensure that the child develops “normally”. In anthropology good enough ethnography one does the best possible with  limited resources have at hand.

            -C. Though from a different perspective my thesis in anthropology is titled Close Enough. In the medical field the term “band aid fix/approach/solution” means the same thing. The basic problem is not addressed such as building a clean water source, while medical personnel can only provide a clinic for a current ill. This is the issue that the Parademic website tries to address. The time and funds need for research for deep analysis, before the bioevent is already well in progress, is very unlikely to receive either in the near (or far) future. The question is how to provide the information needed by those trying to contain and control a biodisaster who run into resistence from the population at risk; when that information is multilayered, diverse, nuanced, complicated, complex, and inconsistent; and yet be specific and brief enough to be useful who don’t have time to learn.

            10.1. Happens that CDC Emergency Partners Newsletter - August 26, 2016, Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) Corner, Dealing with Denial, provides both an example of “good enough” and breaking down deep topics to simple, stand alone bites. One can subscribe to the Emergency Partners Newsletter. For some reason they newsletter does not have links to the specific articles, nor has an archive of past newsletters.

            CERC principles can help emergency responders communicate life saving information during a crisis. However, this information is only useful to those who are willing to use it. People affected by a crisis risk greater harm if they’re unable to move past denial.

            Denial is refusing to acknowledge either imminent harm or harm that has already occurred. People may receive and understand the message, but behave as though the danger is not as great as they are being told. People may have:

• Not received enough accurate information to recognize the threat,
• Assumed the situation is not as bad as it really is because of outdated or incomplete information,
• Assumed their past experiences provide enough information to make choices about their current situation, or
• Received messages about a threat but not received action messages on what they should do.

            When people doubt a threat is real, they may seek further confirmation. They may consult community leaders or experts for specific opinions. They might want to know how others are responding before they take action. Or the message may be so far outside a person’s experience that he or she simply can’t make sense of it and thus chooses to ignore it.

            Denial can, at least in part, be prevented or addressed with clear consistent communication from a trusted source. If your audience receives and understands a consistent message from multiple trusted sources, they will be more likely to believe that message and act on it.