re: #190 Belafon

There were tons of deniers in 1918 and in the fifties.

There are always deniers, but what tends to move public opinion is when a viral outbreak is having visible, serious effects. Smallpox and polio vaccination efforts benefit a lot from the very visible effects of both viruses on the human body, whether it was being covered in pustules or being rendered paralyzed to the point of being crammed into an iron lung. Just having a coworker drop dead at work when they seemed “fine” at the start of the day can get management to take a pandemic seriously.

Compare to the mindset of COVID, where it’s treated like an inconvenience when you find out that your coworker who’s had a cough for a couple days turned up positive, and people feel safe because “I don’t feel sick.”