Although recent trends in politics and media make it appear that conspiracy theories are on the rise, in fact they have always been present, probably because they are sustained by natural dispositions of the human brain. This is also the case with medical conspiracy theories. This article reviews some of the most notorious health-related conspiracy theories. It then approaches the reasons why people believe these theories, using concepts from cognitive science. On the basis of that knowledge, the article makes normative proposals for public health officials and health workers as a whole, to deal with conspiracy theories, in order to preserve some of the fundamental principles of medical ethics.

No abstract

Pakistan, Nigeria, and Afghanistan remain the only countries in the world where polio is still a serious threat. This review article addresses the political, sociological, and epidemiological factors behind the failure in eradication. A relatively popular Nigerian conspiracy theory about polio vaccines spread in Pakistan and, as a result, there is some considerable resistance to polio vaccination. Conspiracy theories about vaccines have a long history, and the fact that polio vaccinators were used as spies in order to plan for Bin Laden’s death has made polio vaccination a bigger challenge. Furthermore, vaccination is strongly correlated with literacy and Pakistan is still struggling against illiteracy. However, these obstacles are by no means insurmountable, and a joint effort by the government, policymakers, education department, community mobilizers, and public health professionals can indeed make major improvements.

Objetivo: Evaluar si siete variables demográficas (edad, género, religión, origen étnico, ingresos, nivel educativo y opiniones políticas) son predictivas del rechazo a la vacuna del Covid-19. Material y métodos: 327 participantes completaron una encuesta con preguntas sobre cada una de las variables. Resultados: la edad, el género y las opiniones políticas no tienen una correlación estadísticamente significativa con el rechazo la vacuna. El origen étnico y la religión predicen el rechazo a las vacunas. Los ingresos tienen una correlación negativa débil con el rechazo de la vacuna Covid-19, y el nivel educativo tiene una correlación negativa moderada con el rechazo de la vacuna Covid-19. Conclusión: Para frenar el rechazo a la vacuna del Covid-19, las autoridades de salud pública en Venezuela deben concentrar sus esfuerzos en los grupos étnicos marginados, los protestantes y aquellos con niveles más bajos de educación.

In continuation with the New Thought movement that arose in the United States in the 19th Century, there is now a massive self-help industry that markets books and seminars. This industry has also extended to healthcare in the form of positive thinking, i.e., the idea that happy thoughts are essential for health. While some of these claims may seem reasonable and commonsensical, they are not free of problems. This article posits that positive thinking has some ethical underpinnings. Extreme positive thinking may promote alternative forms of medicine that ultimately substitute effective treatment, and this is unethical. The emphasis on positive thinking for cancer patients may be too burdensome for them. Likewise, unrestricted positive thinking is not necessarily good for mental health. After considering the ethics of positive thinking, this article proposes a more realistic approach.