Volume 129, March 2015, Pages 123–130
One World One Health? Social science engagements with the one medicine agenda
One-health approach as counter-measure against “autoimmune” responses in biosecurity
Highlights
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- The immune system as tool for reconceptualising socio-political “immune responses”.
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- “Nature as bioterrorist”-ideas can result in exaggerated “immune responses”.
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- Biosecurity measures risk developing into counterproductive “autoimmune” responses.
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- An “immunological repertoire”-based One-Health counteracts autoimmunity.
Abstract
This
Swine flu pandemic of 2009 and the potential Avian flu threat of
2011–2012 have revived a most challenging debate on protection against
infectious diseases. The response to the Swine flu pandemic has been
ambivalent, both on the societal (political) and the scientific level.
While some scientists warned against potential massive loss of human
lives and urged for immediate and large-scale vaccination, others
accused them of unnecessary scaremongering, arguing that the pandemic
would not be that severe. The lab-created virulent Avian flu virus –
which has been created in order to ‘fight’ a potential Avian flu
pandemic – sparked a fierce debate on the dual-use risks of such a
pre-emptive strategy. This article involves an analysis of the
medical-political response to these recent viral threats using Peter
Sloterdijk's immunological framework as diagnostic tool. In his trilogy Spheres
Sloterdijk uses immunological concepts to analyse and assess the
contemporary biopolitical situation. It shows how drawing a parallel
between the functioning of the biological immune system and “immune
responses” on socio-political level enables to assess and
reconceptualise biosecurity.
It demonstrates that
ideas such as “nature is the biggest terrorist” – as advanced by many
virologists – sometimes result in exaggerated “immunisation responses”.
This strong defensive attitude sometimes brings about
collateral damage. In other words, fierce biosecurity measures sometimes
risk developing into “autoimmune” responses that actually destruct the
body politic they are meant to protect. By drawing on recent insights in
the functioning of the biological immune system it is shown how a
One-Health approach that incorporates a broader and nuanced
“immunological” repertoire could act as counter-measure against
“autoimmune” responses in biosecurity.
Keywords
- Immunisation response;
- Autoimmunity;
- Biosecurity;
- Pre-emption;
- Peter Sloterdijk
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