Michael Harrop
Active member
She starts off talking about how she values healthy moms and babies. I couldn't agree more. This was looking promising. Then she goes on to inform us that her solution is giving antibiotics to mothers at the time of birth.
This is another unfortunate example of the medical system and public health system's ethos over the past century. Antibiotics are so easy to use, and the consequences aren't always immediately obvious, so they get abused and people don't attempt to research alternatives or root causes.
The Gates Foundation has been on this path for many years, unfortunately. Here's an example of them funding widespread prophylactic/random antibiotic use: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/25/health/africa-infant-mortality-antibiotic.html
"When your only tool is a hammer, everything becomes a nail."
There are also many emotional people in places of power that rank "saving lives at all costs" as the most important prerogative, and everything else be damned. The result of their choices is not saving lives, it's extinguishing the human race. And much of the other species on our planet along with it.
One of the richest people on the planet in control of billions of dollars, and a charitable foundation with no need to focus on profit, yet they still take this route instead of putting the money towards alternatives, and the crux of problems that get ignored by for-profit institutions.
Pharma companies aren't doing it because they have a profit motive. The Gates Foundation doesn't have that problem. They should be using their money to research alternatives and promote solutions that address the crux of the issues: why is chronic disease skyrocketing? It's not because we're not using enough antibiotics.
If you want healthy mothers and babies, the last thing in the world you should be promoting are antibiotics. Your mouth says you want health but your actions say you want to prevent acute death at all costs. The two are not the same. And there are high costs to pay for your choice.
“Epidemiologists have tried to quantify this sort of loss with something they call the disability-adjusted life year. Simply put, this unit measures the estimated value of the years of healthy life lost to a disease.” https://maximiliankohler.medium.com/eugenics-past-present-and-future-74d0ea5998b4
I would urge the Gates Foundation to instead put its focus on addressing the chronic disease crisis that is continually worsening. The consequences of this crisis are severely underappreciated. I've put my proposed solutions into a bill-proposal format at the end of this article.
I do have a bad memory, but I can't think of any other individual or institution that is working towards solving the chronic disease problem to the extent that I am. And I could use some help.
Just yesterday I interviewed a "one in a million stool donor applicant" and they would have had zero lifetime antibiotic use if not for some very typical, tragic, and irresponsible non-evidence-based abuse of antibiotics -- a week's course prescribed to them after dental work. I can't solve this on my own with the whole world against me.